U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home News & Events News Articles Research News 2007





- ARS News & Events
- AgResearch Magazine
- Image Gallery
- News
- Search News & Events
- Pesticide Drift May Endanger Pollinators
- ARS Seeks a Fire Ant Fix
- Scientific Discoveries 2024
- ARS Featured Photos
- Down on the Farm
- Facebook Live Events
- Food and Nutrition Research Briefs
- News Archive
- Science in Your Shopping Cart
- Scientific Discoveries
- Social Media
- Under the Microscope
- AgResearch magazine
- ARS at Work
- ARS Memorial Lectures
- ARS Science Hall of Fame
- Citrus Disease (Huanglongbing)
- Contact Office of Communications
- Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- Mobile Apps
- Public Affairs Contacts
- Publications and Other Resources
- USDA Blog
- Videos

Archived Page
 This page has been archived and is being provided for reference purposes only. The page is no longer being updated, and therefore, links on the page may be invalid.
 Products called "prebiotics" can now be made from crop sugars to boost the activity of "probiotics"beneficial bacteria that promote intestinal health in humans and livestock. Above, an ARS microbiologist administers a probiotic treatment to a young pig in a study aimed at evaluating how the beneficial bacteria affect the immune system. Click the image for more information about it.For further readingSaliva: a window to oligosaccharides metabolismNutrition researchers examine probiotics......And so do poultry scientists Patented Prebiotic Helps Good Bacteria Take on Bad Ones By Jan Suszkiw  June 18, 2007 Beneficial bacteria that promote intestinal health in humans and livestock could get a boost of their own, thanks to a new method for turning certain sugars from corn and other crops into complex carbohydrates called oligosaccharides. According to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist Greg Cote, the oligosaccharides have commercial potential as "prebiotics." These are food or feed additives that nourish populations of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and other "probiotic" bacteria that live inside their hosts' colons. Besides unlocking minerals, vitamins and other nutrients from the oligosaccharides, probiotic bacteria can also make the colon less hospitable to pathogens, such asSalmonella and Escherichia coli, that can cause illness in humans. When fed to chicks or piglets, for example, the prebiotics could bolster the growth and activity of probiotic bacteria so they would outcompete Salmonella for space and nutrientsa potential boon later on, when the animals mature and are slaughtered for their meat. Cote, who's in the ARS Bioproducts and Biocatalysis Research Unit at Peoria, Ill., codeveloped the oligosaccharides with Scott Holt, an associate professor with Western Illinois University's Department of Biological Sciences. They envision formulating the oligosaccharides as a prebiotic product that could be administered orally. Their production method uses a microbial enzyme called alternansucrase to catalyze a series of biochemical reactions that convert sugars like sucrose, glucose or maltitol into different kinds of oligosaccharides. Depending on which were used, the resulting oligosaccharides bolstered the laboratory growth of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacteroidesand some enterococci bacteria, but not pathogens such as Salmonella, E. colior Clostridium perfringens. Cote's research is part of the ARS unit's broader mission to develop new, value-added uses for corn, soybeans and other Midwest farm crops. ARS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency, patented the oligosaccharide technology (US 7,182,954 B1) in February 2007.


Return to top


Research
                            Media
                            About ARS
                            Work With Us


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov