Application of artificial intelligence to develop food ingredients based on bioactive polysaccharides

Modern scientific evidence indicates the increasing role of functional food ingredients in the prevention and correction of various diseases. Biologically active compounds with proven anti-inflammatory effects are of particular interest to researchers and consumers, since low-intensity chronic systemic inflammation is recognized as a key factor in the development of many metabolic disorders, including diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular pathologies. Unlike pharmaceutical preparations, which act primarily on the symptoms of diseases, functional food ingredients have a unique ability to provide a prolonged preventive effect due to regular consumption as part of the daily diet. Polysaccharides such as beta-glucans, pectins and arabinoxylans, which have pronounced immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory potential, occupy a special place among promising biologically active compounds. However, their widespread use in the food industry has so far been limited by insufficient knowledge of the structure-activity relationships, the difficulties of standardization, and the lack of effective methods for targeted extraction of target fractions. In this context, artificial intelligence technologies open up new opportunities for the systematic study and targeted design of functional ingredients based on polysaccharides. The results obtained in the framework of the study demonstrate the significant effectiveness of the developed approach. In the course of the study, it was possible to identify and characterize highly active fractions of polysaccharides that exhibit a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect. Experimental data have confirmed the ability of the isolated compounds to significantly reduce the level of key inflammatory markers both in in vitro and in clinical settings. Of particular interest are the identified advantages of oat beta-glucans, which combine high biological activity with technological accessibility and environmental safety of production.