Production of bioactive oligosaccharides

Abstract

Methods of generating oligosaccharides are provided.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A composition, comprising:
 a first 3Hex oligosaccharide;   a first 4Hex oligosaccharide and a second 4Hex oligosaccharide; and   a first 5Hex oligosaccharide and a second 5Hex oligosaccharide;   wherein the first 4Hex oligosaccharide and the second 4Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers; and   wherein the first 5Hex oligosaccharide and the second 5Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers.   
     
     
         22 . The composition of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a second 3Hex oligosaccharide and a third 3Hex oligosaccharide;   wherein the first 3Hex oligosaccharide, the second 3Hex oligosaccharide, and the third 3Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers.   
     
     
         23 . The composition of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a third 4Hex oligosaccharide and a fourth 4Hex oligosaccharide;   wherein the first 4Hex oligosaccharide, the second 4Hex oligosaccharide, the third 4Hex oligosaccharide, and the fourth 4Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers.   
     
     
         24 . The composition of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a third 5Hex oligosaccharide;   wherein the first 5Hex oligosaccharide, the second 5Hex oligosaccharide, and the third 5Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers.   
     
     
         25 . The composition of  claim 24 , further comprising:
 a fourth 5Hex oligosaccharide and a fifth 5Hex oligosaccharide;   wherein the first 5Hex oligosaccharide, the second 5Hex oligosaccharide, the third 5Hex oligosaccharide, the fourth 5Hex oligosaccharide, and the fifth 5Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers.   
     
     
         26 . The composition of  claim 25 , further comprising:
 a third 3Hex oligosaccharide; and   a third 4Hex oligosaccharide;   wherein:   the first 3Hex oligosaccharide, the second 3Hex oligosaccharide, and the third 3Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers; and   the first 4Hex oligosaccharide, the second 4Hex oligosaccharide, and the third 4Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers.   
     
     
         27 . The composition of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a first 6Hex oligosaccharide.   
     
     
         28 . The composition of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 a second 6Hex oligosaccharide;   wherein the first 6Hex oligosaccharide and the second 6Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers.   
     
     
         29 . The composition of  claim 28 , further comprising:
 a second 3Hex oligosaccharide;   a third 4Hex oligosaccharide; and   a third 5Hex oligosaccharide;   wherein:   the first 3Hex oligosaccharide and the second 3Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers;   the first 4Hex oligosaccharide, the second 4Hex oligosaccharide, and the third 4Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers; and   the first 5Hex oligosaccharide, the second 5Hex oligosaccharide, and the third 5Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers.   
     
     
         30 . The composition of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 a third 3Hex oligosaccharide;   a fourth 4Hex oligosaccharide;   a fourth 5Hex oligosaccharide; and   a fifth 5Hex oligosaccharide;   wherein:   the first 3Hex oligosaccharide, the second 3Hex oligosaccharide, and the third 3Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers;   the first 4Hex oligosaccharide, the second 4Hex oligosaccharide, the third 4Hex oligosaccharide, and the fourth 4Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers; and   the first 5Hex oligosaccharide, the second 5Hex oligosaccharide, the third 5Hex oligosaccharide, the fourth 5Hex oligosaccharide, and the fifth 5Hex oligosaccharide are different isomers.   
     
     
         31 . The composition of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the first 4Hex oligosaccharide, the second 4Hex oligosaccharide, the first 5Hex oligosaccharide, and the second 5Hex oligosaccharide comprise glucose.   
     
     
         32 . The composition of  claim 31 , wherein the glucose comprises 4-linked glucose. 
     
     
         33 . The composition of  claim 32 , wherein the 4-linked glucose comprises a linear polymer. 
     
     
         34 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein:
 the first 3Hex oligosaccharide, the second 3Hex oligosaccharide, the third 3Hex oligosaccharide, the first 4Hex oligosaccharide, the second 4Hex oligosaccharide, the third 4Hex oligosaccharide, the fourth 4Hex oligosaccharide, the first 5Hex oligosaccharide, the second 5Hex oligosaccharide, the third 5Hex oligosaccharide, the fourth 5Hex oligosaccharide, the fifth 5Hex oligosaccharide, the first 6Hex oligosaccharide, and the second 6Hex oligosaccharide comprise glucose.   
     
     
         35 . The composition of  claim 34 , wherein the glucose comprises 4-linked glucose. 
     
     
         36 . The composition of  claim 35 , wherein the 4-linked glucose comprises a linear polymer. 
     
     
         37 . The composition of  claim 21 , wherein the composition is derived from a polysaccharide selected from glucomannan, galactomannan, or betaglucan. 
     
     
         38 . A composition comprising a mixture of oligosaccharides, wherein the mixture of oligosaccharides is generated from polysaccharides by a process comprising:
 reacting the polysaccharides in a reaction mixture under suitable reaction conditions with hydrogen peroxide and a transition metal or an alkaline earth metal;   followed by quenching the reaction by adding a base and/or cleaving glycosidic linkages in the polysaccharides by adding a base;   thereby generating the mixture of oligosaccharides.   
     
     
         39 . The composition of  claim 38 , wherein the reaction mixture comprises:
 a transition metal selected from iron, copper, manganese, cobalt, or molybdenum; or   an alkaline earth metal selected from calcium or magnesium.   
     
     
         40 . The composition of  claim 38 , wherein the polysaccharides include one or more of amylose, amylopectin, pullulan, xyloglucan, arabinogalactan I, arabinogalactan II, larch arabinogalactan, rhamnogalacturonan I, rhamnogalacturonan II, galactan, arabinan, arabinoxylan, xylan, glycogen, mannan, curdlan, lichenan, inulin, polygalacturonic acid, yeast cell wall polysaccharide, butternut squash polysaccharide, banana peel polysaccharide, chickpea polysaccharide, millet polysaccharide, or green split pea polysaccharide. 
     
     
         41 . The composition of  claim 38 , wherein the polysaccharides include one or more of glucomannan, galactomannan, or betaglucan.