Inulin functional

From a scientific point of view, glomerular filtration rate (inulin or creatinine clearance) is the best global estimate of renal function. Other parameters of interest include, but are not limited to ... 

Clearance. Renal clearance is used as a quantitative measure of renal function. It is defined as the plasma volume cleared of a given substance per unit of time. Inulin, a fructose polysaccharide with a mass of ca. 6 kDa (see p. 40) that is neither actively excreted nor resorbed but is freely filtered, has a clearance of 120mb min in healthy individuals. 

N.A. Cineole, thujone, ascorbic acid, thiamine, inulin, resin, tannin.100-102 Improve appetite, digestive function, and absorption of nutrients. Antiseptic, a uterine stimulant. 

There is a growing interest in the inclusion of soluble fibre into the diet to help improve health. This is extending to drinks as well, with such fibre being added to milk- and fruit-based products such as smoothies . One source of soluble fibre which has attracted attention over the last few years is inulin or oligofiuc-tans. Inulin consists of oligosaccharides that are extracted from chicory or Jerusalem artichokes and that are claimed to improve colon function and to have prebiotic properties, enhancing the working of the gut. Inulin is a complex carbohydrate which can be assayed in a number of different ways. However, there are two published methods in the AO AC manual for its analysis (997.08 and 999.03). 

This data demonstrate that amino-type drugs can be easily linked in high yield onto succinoylated polysaccharides. However this only holds for polysaccharide derivatives having all hydroxyls esterified. When a similar reaction sequence as described before was carried out using a partially succinoylated inulin (approx. 50% esterified) a considerable amount of crosslinked product was obtained. The remaining free hydroxyl functions apparently compete with the amino compounds for reaction with the imidazolide derivative. Hence the above described method is only attractive provided the polysaccharide is succinoylated quantitatively. 

Roberfrodid, M. 1999. Concepts in functional foods the case of inulin and oligofructose. J. Nutr. 129, 1398-1401. 

A Nutraceutical is any substance that is a food or a part of a food and provides medical or health benefits. Nutraceutical products are also known as functional foods. Inulin-containing foods have long been known to be beneficial for health. Inulin is fermented in the colon, selectively altering the microflora present (Gibson et al., 1995). Bifidobacteria, a genus considered to have health-promoting properties, displaces a number of undesirable microbes. Inulin is a component of many probiotic food supplements (see Section 6.1.3). 

Inulin is used in an important test for renal failure called the inulin clearance method (Gretz et al., 1993 Chiu, 1994). As inulin is neither secreted nor reabsorbed in the kidney, it can be administered by injection to measure glomerular filtration rate. The relative amounts of inulin in the plasma and urine give an indication of renal function. 

The functionality of inulin as a fat replacer is due to its effect on water (Silva, 1996). As the inulin concentration in the solution increases, the viscosity of the solution increases (Table 5.7). Initially at 1 to 10% there is a small but gradual increase in viscosity between 11 and 30% there is a more pronounced increase, but without gel formation. Above 30% inulin in water, discrete... 

Inulin represents a renewable resource that can be modified to form a cross section of products, many of which have superior attributes to similar products derived from glucose polysaccharides. Modification of inulin expands the amount and type of functional properties available, opening the door to many new uses. Most of these compounds are readily biodegradable. To date, there are over 17,000 citations for inulin in chemistry abstracts. The chemical modification of inulin, pioneered by the work of Dorine Verraest and Herman van Bekkum in the Netherlands, and Takao Uchiyama in Japan, has been reviewed by Fuchs (1987), Verraest (1997), and Stevens et al. (2001). The following critiques a portion of the diverse range of potential chemical modifications of inulin. 

Baal, H., Functional properties and applications of inulin in food, Fourth Seminar on Inulin, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 1993, pp. 1-66. 

Chien, C.C., Lieberman, R., and Inman, J.K., Preparation of functionalized derivatives of inulin conjugation of erythrocytes for hemagglutination and plaque-forming cell assays, J. Immunol. Methods, 26, 39-46, 1979. 

Gretz, N., Kirschfink, M., and Strauch, M., The use of inulin for the determination of renal function applicability and problems, in Inulin and Inulin-Containing Crops, Fuchs, A., Ed., Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1993, pp. 391-396. 

Lukacova, D. and Karovicova, J., Inulin and oligofructose as functional ingredients of food products, Bull. Potravinarskeho Vyskumu, 42, 27, 2003. 

Roberfroid, M., Inulin-Type Fructans Functional Food Ingredients, CRC Series in Modem Nutrition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2005. 

Franck, A., Technological functionality of inulin and oligofructose, Br. J. Nutr., 87 (Suppl. 2), S287-S291,... 

The inulin-containing vacuoles also often contain vesicles (Kaeser, 1983), more so in cells adjacent to the interfascicular cambium, and decreasing in number with increasing distance from the cambium. The largest are localized within the vacuole and contain fibrous or granular material. It is thought that the vesicles form in the cytoplasm and function in the transport of sucrose into the vacuole (for additional details, see Section 10.8). 

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