Cocoa bean shells (CBS), a by-product of the cocoa industry, from two cacao varieties and obtained after selected processing conditions (fermentation, drying, roasting) were characterized in terms of their chemical composition, where they were found to be a great source of carbohydrates, specifically dietary fiber, protein, ash, and polyphenols, namely quercetin, epicatechin, and catechin. Cell wall polysaccharides were isolated by alkaline extraction (0.5 M or 4 M KOH) and were found to be enriched primarily in pectic polysaccharides (80.6–86%) namely rhamnogalacturonan and arabinogalactan as well as hemi- cellulosic polysaccharides (13.9–19.4%). Overall, 0.5 M KOH polysaccharides were favored having provided a diverse profile of neutral sugars and uronic acids. When tested for the promotion of the growth of selected probiotic strains, CBS cell wall polysaccharides performed similarly or more than inulin and rhamnogalacturonan based on the prebiotic activity scores. The short-chain fatty acid profiles were characterized by high amounts of lactic acid, followed by acetic and propionic acid.

The potential of poly- and oligosaccharides as functional ingredients depends on the type and glycosidic linkages of their monosaccharide residues, which determine their techno-functional properties, their digestibility and their fermentability. To isolate the pectic polysaccharides of cranberry, alcohol insoluble solids were first obtained from pomace. A sequential extraction with hot phosphate buffer, chelating agents (CH), diluted (DA) and concentrated sodium hydroxide was then carried out. Pectic polysaccharides present in CH and DA extracts were purified by anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography, then sequentially exposed to commercially available pectin-degrading enzymes (endo-polygalacturonase, pectin lyase and endo-arabinanase/endo-galactanase/both). The composition and linkages of the generated fragments revealed important characteristic features, including the presence of homogalacturonan with varied methyl esterification extent, branched type I arabinogalactan and pectic galactan. The presence of arabinan with galactose branches was suggested upon the analysis of the fragments by LC-MS.