Macroalgae-derived rare sugars: Applications and catalytic synthesis

Rare sugars have attracted much attention since they are highly beneficial for health as alternative sweeteners and full of potential economic value in industry.The limited availability of rare sugars in nature has promoted efforts on the conversion of sugars obtained from terrestrial plants into rare sugars,either via biological or chemo-catalytic approaches.However,the processes are generally complicated and consist of multiple steps.Macroalgae or seaweeds have been industrially used as a natural source of phycocolloids.These water-soluble polysaccharides contain monomeric sugars with unique chemical structures and are categorized as rare.In this review,the potency of macroalgae as a sustainable source of rare sugars and the recent progress on their catalytic conversion,either via biological or chemo-catalytical process,are summarized and discussed.Especially,the depolymerization of macroalgae for the production of rare sugars is presented.It is expected to enrich our knowledge in the development of sustainable production of rare sugars from macroalgae.

Critical approaches in the catalytic transformation of sugar isomerization and epimerization after Fischer-History,challenges,and prospects

The transformation of aldose to ketose or common sugars into rare saccharides,including rare ketoses and aldoses,is of great value and interest to the food industry and for saccharidic biomass utilization,medicine,and the synthesis of drugs.Nowadays,high-fructose corn syrup(HFCS)is industrially produced in more than 10 million tons annually using immobilized glucose isomerase.Some low-calorie saccharides such as tagatose and psicose,which are becoming popular sweeteners,have also been produced on a pilot scale in order to replace sucrose and HFCS.However,current catalysts and catalytic processes are still difficult to utilize in biomass conversion and also have strong substrate dependence in producing high-value,rare sugars.Considering the specific reaction properties of saccharides and catalysts,since the pioneering discovery by Fischer,various catalysts and catalytic systems have been discovered or developed in attempts to extend the reaction pathways,improve the reaction efficiency,and to potentially produce commercial products.In this review,we trace the history of sugar isomerization/epimerization reactions and summarize the important breakthroughs for each reaction as well as the difficulties that remain unresolved to date.

Anti-Obesity Effects of Dietary d-Allulose and Medium-Chain Triglycerides in High-Fat Diet-Fed Rats

d-Allulose, a rare sugar, exerts anti-obesity effects by inhibiting hepatic lipogenesis and promoting energy expenditure. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) consist of three medium-chain fatty acids connected by glycerol. MCTs have been extensively investigated for their ability to reduce body fat accumulation. We previously investigated the anti-obesity effects of a combination of dietary d-allulose and MCT (5% - 13%) in rats;however, we could not confirm the anti-obesity effects of MCT or observed synergetic effects between d-allulose and MCT on body fat loss. We speculated that our previous studies were influenced by the excessive amount of MCT in the diets. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the anti-obesity effects of the simultaneous intake of d-allulose and MCT in rats fed an obesity-inducing high-fat diet with a low amount of MCTs (2%). Thirty-two male Wistar rats (3-week-old) were randomly divided into four groups: control, d-allulose, MCT, and d-allulose + MCT groups. Rats in each group were fed ad libitum on a control (no d-Allulose or MCT), 5% d-allulose, 2% MCT, or 5% d-allulose + 2% MCT diets for 16 weeks. Abdominal adipose tissue weights were significantly lower in the d-allulose diet group than in the control group, whereas no differences were observed between results of the MCT-supplemented groups. The total body fat mass was significantly lower in the d-allulose and MCT diet groups than in the control group, but no differences were observed between the MCT-supplemented groups. These results suggested that anti-obesity effects of dietary d-allulose were observed, and the effects of dietary MCTs were weaker than those of d-allulose. Moreover, we confirmed the interaction between dietary d-allulose and MCT on indicators of obesity. Interestingly, their effects were not synergistic, as MCT supplementation offset the anti-obesity effects of dietary d-allulose. However, the specific mechanisms underlying those effects remain unknown, warranting further investigation.