Difructose anhydrides: their mass-production and physiological functions.

Difructose anhydrides (DFAs) are the smallest cyclic disaccharides consisting of two fructose residues, and are expected to have novel physiological functions from their unique structures and properties. For mass-production of alpha-D-fructofuranose-beta-D-fructofuranose-2',1:2,3'-dianhydride (DFA III) and beta-D-fructofuranose-beta-D-fructofuranose-2',6:2,6'-dianhydride (DFA IV), Arthrobacter sp. H65-7 and A. nicotinovorans GS-9 were selected as the best producers of inulase II, which produced DFA III from inulin and LFTase, which produced DFA IV from levan. The enzymes were purified and their genes were subsequently cloned and expressed in E. coli at higher levels than in the original bacteria. Thus, it became possible to provide a large amount of DFA III and DFA IV for evaluating their physiological properties. DFA III and DFA IV have half the sweetness of sucrose, but cannot be digested by the digestive system of rats. Their use by the intestinal microorganisms was observed in vivo even though their assimilation could not be detected in vitro. This implied that they were degraded by an unknown system in the intestine. It was also found that they affected calcium absorption mainly in the small intestine through mechanisms different from the known stimulants such as fructooligosaccharides and raffinose.