Alginate, a group of polyuronic saccharides, has been widely used in both pharmaceutical and food industries due to its unique physicochemical properties as well as beneficial health effects. However, the potential applications of alginate are restricted because of its low water solubility and high solution viscosity when significant concentrations are needed, particularly in food products. Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS), oligomers containing 2 to 25 monomers, can be obtained via hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds, organic synthesis, or through biosynthesis. Generally, AOS have shorter chain lengths and thus improved water solubility when compared with higher molecular weight alginates of the same monomers. These oligosaccharides have attracted interest from both basic and applied researchers. AOS have unique bioactivity and can impart health benefits. They have shown immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, prebiotic, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antitumor, anticoagulant, and other activities. As examples, they have been utilized as prebiotics, feed supplements for aquaculture, poultry, and swine, elicitors for plants and microorganisms, cryoprotectors for frozen foods, and postharvest treatments. This review comprehensively covers methods for AOS production from alginate, such as physical/chemical methods, enzymatic methods, fermentation, organic synthesis, and biosynthesis. Moreover, current progress in structural characterization, potential health benefits, and AOS metabolism after ingestion are summarized in this review. This review will discuss methods for producing and modified AOS with desirable structures that are suited for novel applications.

中文翻译：

---

海藻酸低聚糖：产量，生物活性和潜在的应用。

海藻酸盐是一组聚糖醛酸糖，由于其独特的理化性质以及有益健康的作用，已被广泛用于制药和食品行业。但是，藻酸盐的潜在应用受到限制，因为当需要大量浓度时，尤其是在食品中，藻酸盐的水溶性低，溶液粘度高。藻低聚糖（AOS），含有2至25的低聚物的单体，可以得到通过糖苷键的水解，有机合成或通过生物合成。通常，与相同单体的较高分子量藻酸盐相比，AOS具有较短的链长，因此改善了水溶性。这些低聚糖引起了基础研究人员和应用研究人员的兴趣。AOS具有独特的生物活性，可以带来健康益处。他们显示出免疫调节，抗微生物，抗氧化剂，益生元，降压，抗糖尿病，抗肿瘤，抗凝血和其他活性。例如，它们已被用作益生元，用于水产养殖，家禽和猪的饲料补充剂，用于植物和微生物的引发剂，用于冷冻食品的冷冻保护剂以及收获后的处理。这篇评论全面涵盖了从藻酸盐生产AOS的方法，例如物理/化学方法，酶法，发酵，有机合成和生物合成。此外，本综述总结了结构表征，潜在的健康益处和摄入后AOS代谢的最新进展。这篇综述将讨论用于生产和改良具有适合新应用的所需结构的AOS的方法。