Chemical Properties
white crystalline solid
Chemical Properties
Inulin occurs as an odorless white powder with a neutral to slightly
sweet taste.
Uses
Inulin is a nondigestible oligosaccharide containing fructose which
provides texture, rheology, dietary fiber properties, and selective fer-
mentation by colon bacteria. commercially obtained from chicory
root; common sources include onion, garlic, leek, asparagus, and
jerusalem artichoke. it is a hygroscopic powder with solubility in
water dependent on water temperature. with increasing concentra-
tion, viscosity gradually increases, and at about 30% concentration,
it can form discrete particle gels which are characterized as creamy
and fat-like. it is not hydrolyzed by the digestive system. it func-
tions as a prebiotic, passing into the colon where it is preferentially
fermented by healthy bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli
to increase their proliferation and inhibit unwanted bacteria. it is
used in ice cream products to replace fat and sugar, and in baked
goods.
Uses
Is a safe plant polysaccharide with a variety of uses in the food and chemical medical industry. It is a functional food, providing functional groups for beneficial bacteria, as well as improving prop
erties of food such as texture, hydration and shelf-life. They are also used for vaccine and drug delivery via soluble storage.
Uses
Mixture of fructose polymers that serves as carbohydrate storage in plantsInulin is used in the treatment of high blood fats, cholesterol and triglycerides. It is also used for weight loss, constipation and also serves as a food additive to improve taste and as a vaccine adjuvant. Further, it is utilized to replace sugar, fat and flour. It is also used to measure kidney function by determining the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). In addition to this, it is used to replace some of the flour in baked goods.
Production Methods
Inulin is extracted from the tubers of Dahlia variabilis, Helianthus,
in a procedure similar to the extraction of sugar from sugar beet.
Pharmaceutical Applications
Inulin has many potential uses in pharmaceutical applications, as a
filler–binder in tablet formulations; to stabilize therapeutic
proteins; or to enhance the dissolution of lipophilic drugs.
Methacrylated inulin hydrogels have been investigated for the
development of colon-specific drug delivery systems.
Inulin is used as a diagnostic agent to measure the glomerular
filtration rate. It is used in the food industry as a sweetener and
stabilizer; and also as a prebiotic, where it has been shown to
provide protection against inflammatory and malignant colonic
diseases in animals. It is also used as a noncaloric dietary fiber
supplement.
Biochem/physiol Actions
A heterogeneous blend of fructose polymers that function as plant storage carbohydrates.
Safety
Inulin is a naturally occurring plant polysaccharide and is one of the
major constituents of the Compositae family. Inulin is recommended
to diabetics, as it has a mild sweet taste, but is not absorbed
and does not affect blood sugar levels. It is used widely in the food
industry as a sweetener and stabilizer.
storage
Inulin is slightly hygroscopic and should be stored at cool to normal
temperatures, in air-tight and water-tight containers.
Incompatibilities
Inulin is incompatible with strong oxidizing agents.
Regulatory Status
GRAS listed.
