What is Inulin Used for

1. What is Inulin?

Inulin is a natural polysaccharide, the main source is plants, and it is an important sweetener. It’s sweetness is only one tenth of that of sucrose, but it contains no calories. At the same time, inulin is also a new resource approved by the state, which has important physiological functions. Driven by the concept of healthy diet, inulin has performed very well as a sugar substitute.

At the 5th ORAFIT Inulin and Fructooligosaccharides Research Conference held in Harvard Medical College in September, 2006, the concept of positioning inulin as "functional food" was mentioned, during which the data of physiological characteristics of inulin food ingredients were evaluated, so as to demonstrate that inulin was qualified to obtain functional food ingredients with enhanced functions.

Inulin will not be digested by the human body itself, but will be used by our intestinal bacteria when it enters the large intestine. Inulin has a good selectivity, and it is basically only used by "good bacteria", so inulin belongs to one of the recognized prebiotics.

2. The applications of Inulin

Dairy produce

As an excellent fat substitute, inulin will form a creamy structure when it is completely mixed with water, which can give skim milk a smooth taste. The addition of inulin can promote the absorption of calcium in dairy products. In the production of yogurt, adding 6% inulin will reduce the whey precipitation rate and help improve the quality of yogurt.

Flour product

The appearance of inulin is similar to that of wheat flour, and it is white powder with good hydrophilicity. After absorbing water, it can form a delicate and smooth texture. Using these characteristics of inulin can improve the processability of dough, improve the quality and nutritional value of products and optimize the nutritional structure of products.

Meat Product

In meat products, inulin is often used to replace its oil or starch, so as to reduce the energy of the product, increase the dietary fiber content and improve the nutritional function of the product. For example, the production of beef balls, antifreeze of fish.

Beverage making

The addition of inulin can increase the consistency of the beverage, solve the problem of thin taste of vegetable protein beverage, make the milk fat feel stronger and give people a soft feeling, make the beverage stronger in flavor and better in texture, and inulin can promote the absorption rate of calcium up to 70%./

3. The functions of Inulin

Treat constipation

Inulin can promote the growth of Bifidobacterium in intestinal tract, and reduce the level of bile-loving bacteria, thus helping to improve the intestinal environment. Inulin has good water storage, which increases the frequency and regularity of defecation.

Help lose weight

As a dietary fiber, inulin can provide satiety. Let obese people supplement 8g inulin daily, which can effectively control their stomach hunger.

Improve hyperlipidemia

In the process of inulin fermentation by intestinal bacteria, a large number of short-chain fatty acids will be produced. These short-chain fatty acids can improve the metabolism of human body. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition said： Inulin can reduce low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) for all people. For people with type 2 diabetes, inulin can increase the level of high-density cholesterol (HDL) and help them control their blood sugar.

Promote the absorption of trace elements

Inulin can effectively promote the absorption of calcium and magnesium by human body. According to research, patients who take anti-gastric acid drugs (proton pump inhibitor -PPI) for a long time are prone to serious magnesium deficiency, and the situation can be improved by supplementing inulin (20g daily) while using PPI.

4. Attention

For healthy people, excessive intake of inulin (more than 0.29g/kg) is easy to cause abdominal distension and abdominal discomfort. For some people with chronic stomach diseases, a small amount of inulin (less than 5g) may cause problems. However, in the long run, prebiotics are still important for rebuilding intestinal flora.