Fructooligosaccharide (FOS)

Fructooligosaccharide (FOS) is a group of short-chain oligosaccharide carbohydrates composed of fructose units (and sometimes terminal glucose) linked by β(2→1) glycosidic bonds[2][3][4][1]. FOS resists digestion in the human upper gastrointestinal tract, reaching the colon where it acts as a prebiotic—selectively stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, and supporting the production of health-promoting short-chain fatty acids[1][4][3]. Naturally occurring in many plants, commercial FOS is typically synthesized from sucrose or extracted from inulin-rich sources like chicory root[2][1]. FOS is widely used as a functional food ingredient and sweetener with about 30–50% the sweetness of sucrose[2], but it is not a biological receptor, drug target, or molecular signaling entity. Instead, it plays a dietary role in microbiome modulation and digestive health, but should not be classified as a therapeutic target such as a receptor, enzyme, transporter, or similar molecule[2][3][4].

Other names

Oligofructoseoligofructanfructose oligomerfructanglycofructan

Not a direct drug target. Mechanism relates to being fermented by gut bacteria, thereby supporting beneficial microbiota and the production of SCFAs