Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are a class of sweet, nondigestible oligosaccharides used as alternative sweeteners, dietary fiber and prebiotics. FOS occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables such as bananas, onions, chicory root, garlic, asparagus, barley, wheat, jícama, tomatoes and leeks. These compounds can be obtained from natural sources, such as inulin, or derived from sucrose. Commercial FOS syrups exhibit sweetness levels between 30- and 50-percent of sugar. Commercial use emerged in the 1980s in response to consumer demand for healthy and calorie-reduced foods.