Developing and improving enzyme-driven technologies to synthesise emerging prebiotics

Abstract

Emerging prebiotics, mainly oligosaccharides and phenolic compounds, are gaining increasing attention in the scientific community due to their health benefits and broad industrial potential. Prebiotics are widely used in foods, cosmetic formulations and dietary supplements, and emerging prebiotics offer additional advantages as they can be derived from low-cost, renewable materials and produced sustainably, in line with the principles of the circular economy. Green technological approaches, integrating expertise from different scientific disciplines, will be essential to develop efficient and environmentally friendly methods for the production of emerging prebiotic-enriched products. This review provides a comprehensive overview of advances in the field, highlighting the advantages and optimisation of enzyme-based catalysis. It provides insight into how enzymes enhance control over oligosaccharide production by enabling selective synthesis of regioisomers with desired chain lengths and modification of phenolic prebiotics, different technologies to improve biocatalysts and contribute to novel bioprocess intensification strategies applicable to emerging prebiotic processing.