inulin

Inulin is a water soluble storage polysaccharide used as a prebiotic, fat replacer, sugar replacer, and texture modifier. Inulin is a soluble fiber which is not digested by human enzymes and produces distinctive fiber-alike results on the effectiveness of the gut, thus, lowering the pH of intestine, providing assistance in relieving constipation and increasing stool load or rate. Inulin decrease the risk of many diseases of the intestinal tract, particularly irritable bowel diseases and colon cancer. Inulin products contain mainly short-chain molecules which enhance the sweetness of sucrose up to 35%, thus it is useful to partially replace sucrose molecule’s flavor. Inulin has been proved an attractive applicant as a low-calorie bulking agent in chocolate, mostly in combination with a polyol which replaces sugar contents without any effect on fat contents. Further uses of inulin include colon specific drug administration and stabilizing and adjuvating vaccine formulations. — NCATS