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Review
. 2022 Sep 15;11(1):17-38.
doi: 10.1002/fsn3.3040. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Inulin-type fructans and short-chain fructooligosaccharides-their role within the food industry as fat and sugar replacers and texture modifiers-what needs to be considered!

Peter Philip James Jackson  1 , Anisha Wijeyesekera  1 , Robert Adrian Rastall  1
Affiliations
Review

Inulin-type fructans and short-chain fructooligosaccharides-their role within the food industry as fat and sugar replacers and texture modifiers-what needs to be considered!

Peter Philip James Jackson et al. Food Sci Nutr. .

Abstract

Inulin and oligofructose are classes of prebiotics belonging to a group of nondigestible carbohydrates referred to as inulin-type fructans. While short-chain fructooligosaccharides are enzymatically synthesized from the hydrolysis and transglycosylation of sucrose. Inulin-type fructans and short-chain fructooligosaccharides act as carbon sources for selective pathways supporting digestive health including altering the composition of the gut microbiota along with improving transit time. Due to their physicochemical properties, inulin-type fructans and short-chain fructooligosaccharides have been widely used in the food industry as partial replacements for both fat and sugar. Yet, levels of replacement need to be carefully considered as it may result in changes to physical and sensory properties that could be detected by consumers. Furthermore, it has been reported depending on the processing parameters used during production that inulin-type fructans and short-chain fructooligosaccharides may or may not undergo structural alterations. Therefore, this paper reviews the role of inulin-type fructans and short-chain fructooligosaccharides within the food industry as fat and sugar replacers and texture modifiers, their impact on final sensory properties, and to what degree processing parameters are likely to impact their functional properties.

Keywords: carbohydrates; chemistry; food processing; inulin; physical; polysaccharides; prebiotics; sensory.

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Conflict of interest statement

None to declare.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Hydrolysis of inulin results in the formation of shorter chains OF, fructose monomers, and a smaller amount of glucose monomers
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Pathways by which inulin‐type fructans and scFOS can participate in the Maillard reaction. Path A: Direct participation in the Maillard reaction due to the availability of the reducing end. Pathway B via the enzymatic effects of yeasts, invertase, and inulinase.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
The degradation of inulin‐type fructans and scFOS via invertase and inulinase, respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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