Brief description on the production, function of stachyose and its application

Stachyose is one of natural functional oligosaccharides which have been applied in the research and development of functional foods. Stachyose can be catabolized by lactic acid bacteria as sole carbon source and promote their growth in the gastrointestinal tract of nutritional deficiency patients, and therefore benefit the health of the host. However, the efficient use of stachyose and probiotics-involved functional foods are hampered by limited industrial production and advanced research. Therefore, the physicochemical properties, main production which might provide some insights for the further development of stachyose industry.