Eco-friendly production and probiotic purification of agarose degradation products: Oligosaccharides and 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose

Algal biomass offers a solution to global resource scarcity, with agarose, a key component of Gelidium amansii, containing valuable products like oligosaccharides and 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose. However, current purification methods limit their commercial viability. In this study, we utilized gel filtration chromatography to purify agaro-oligosaccharides and neoagaro-oligosaccharides with varying degrees of polymerization, achieving a novel purification of odd-numbered neoagaro-oligosaccharides. Additionally, by fermenting a mixture of 3,6-anhydro L-galactose and D-galactose with six probiotics, our results demonstrate that five probiotics-Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus effectively utilize D-galactose in mixed carbon sources while retaining 3,6-anhydro L-galactose. This approach enables efficient, low-cost, and eco-friendly purification of 3,6-anhydro L-galactose, opening avenues for its widespread utilization.