Inulins are polymers of fructose that often have a terminal glucose unit.

The Dfructofuranose units are connected by a beta-(2->1) bond. The final fructofuranoside is connected to glucose in a 2->1 linkage as well. Draw an inulin molecule with three fructose monomers and a terminal glucose monomer (3 pts).

In humans, inulins are a type of dietary fiber because they are not well-digested. They are also a recognized as a somewhat controversial pre-biotic, a nutrition source that stimulates the growth of beneficial bacterial microflora. Read the journal abstract below and answer the questions that follow (3 pts):

Prebiotic effects of inulin and oligofructose. Kolida S, Tuohy K, Gibson GR.

Food Microbial Sciences Unit, School of Food Biosciences, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, UK. afr99sk@reading.ac.uk Abstract: Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that target certain components within the microbiota of the human large intestine. Efficient prebiotics need to have a specific fermentation therein and thereby have the ability to alter the faecal microflora composition towards a more 'beneficial' community structure. This should occur by the stimulation of benign or potentially health promoting genera but not the harmful groups. Because of their positive attributes bifidobacteria and lactobacilli are the most frequent target organisms. Both inulin and oligofructose have been demonstrated to be effective prebiotics. This has been shown through both in vitro and in vivo assessments in different laboratories. Because of their recognised prebiotic properties, principally the selective stimulation of colonic bifidobacteria, both inulin and oligofructose are increasingly used in new food product developments. Examples include drinks, yoghurts, biscuits and table spreads. Because of the recognised inhibitory effects that bifidobacteria can exert against gut pathogens, one of the most important aspects of prebiotic ingestion is fortification of the gut flora to resist acute infections. By definition, how do pre-biotics work as health-promoting agents?

Which two classes of microbes are the most common targeted for growth by pre-biotics?

After stimulation of the growth of these targets, what is the expected beneficial health outcome that relates to acute infections?

Take-hom e Quiz (3)

CH2OH CH2OH

O
OH OH

O O
OH OH OH

OH OH

OH
CH2OH

OH OH

The polysaccharide shown above is a portion of hemi-cellulose, a component along with cellulose in plant cell walls. Hemicellulose is not based on the structure of cellulose, despite its name. Answer the questions concerning the portion of hemicellulose drawn above: Is the molecule above a homoglycan or heteroglycan. Which individual monomer(s) are used to make up this oligosaccharide (4 pt)?

Hemicellulose can be used as a biofuel from plant material. According to the figure and caption below, what other two polymers is hemi-cellulose typically separated from before fermenting to ethanol (1pt)? Following fractionation, what two types of treatments are usually necessary to hydrolyze the polymer for fermentation (1 pt)?

Fig. 1. Lignocellulosic ethanol bioprocesses. In most cases, pre- treatment produces water-insoluble solids (WIS), containing cellulose and lignin, and a liquid fraction composed of hemicellulose. The hemicellulose is more or less intact, depending on the pre-treatement: when hydrolysed to monosaccharides, it proceeds to fermentation; when not completely hydrolysed, i.e., composed o f oligosaccharides, it requires further hydrolysis before fermentation.

Lactase persistence: Read the article posted on Carmen titled:

Human evolution: How Africa learned to love the cow

Answer the following questions after reading the article: What is lactases persistence and on what two continents did lactase persistence develop (2 pts)? Were these events linked or did they occur independently? What research data conclusively demonstrated this (2pts)? How long ago did the mutation discovered by Tishkoffs research group appear to have originated in sampled populations? What two environmental challenges might Tishkoffs mutation have been an advantage in dealing with in African populations (2 pts). How is the story about evolution of lactase persistence in humans similar genetically to the evolution of hemoglobin binding in Andean and Bar-headed geese (2pts)?