There is an increased interest on the identification, production, purification, evaluation and commercialization of new prebiotics with improved properties. Partial hydrolysis of pectin by chemical and/or enzymatic methods leads to the production of pectin-derived oligosaccharides (POS), which have been proposed as a new class of prebiotics. This work reviews the scientific information available on the production, chemical characterization, purification and properties of POS, with special focus on their in vitro and in vivo effects.