Jian (School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China) Chen & Song Liu 
Functional Carbohydrates 
Development, Characterization, and Biomanufacture

‘Functional carbohydrates’ is the term used to describe those carbohydrates that play an important role in strengthening immunity, decreasing the level of blood-lipid, and regulating the intestinal flora of humans, beyond those simply used as the energy-supplying materials. To date functional carbohydrates mainly cover dietary fiber, functional polysaccharides, functional oligosaccharides, sugar alcohols, and other functional monosaccharides. Functional Carbohydrates: Development, Characterization, and Biomanufacture facilitates tracking the important progresses in functional carbohydrates. This book addresses the history and recent developments of a selected number of important functional carbohydrates and it introduces the source, properties, and applications of a number of functional carbohydrates. It describes in detail the biomanufacture of these carbohydrates based on fermentation or enzyme catalysis, including the strain screening and improvement, optimization of fermentation process, and product downstream processing.