1st Edition

Inulin-Type Fructans Functional Food Ingredients

By Marcel Roberfroid Copyright 2005
    388 Pages 47 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Inulin and oligofructose are naturally occurring resistant carbohydrates that have a variety of uses as functional food ingredients. In addition to their role as prebiotics that selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestines, these inulin-type fructans act as dietary fiber in the digestive system and have applications as a sugar substitute and fat replacer.

    Written by one of the leading researchers in the field, Inulin-Type Fructans: Functional Food Ingredients describes inulin-type fructans and explains how they can be analyzed, quantified, and used in a wide variety of food products. The text evaluates the nutritional properties of inulin-type fructans, focusing on their behavior in the upper gastrointestinal tract that have led to their classification as dietary fiber and low calorie carbohydrates. Following a review of the selective and beneficial modification of the intestinal microflora that led to the discovery of prebiotics, the book concentrates on the relationship of inulin and oligofructose to lipid metabolism, carcinogenesis, mineral absorption, and the immune system. The text concludes with a general discussion of the classification of inulin-type fructans as functional food ingredients.

    Each chapter begins with background information on the physiology and biochemistry of the particular function covered as well as on the methodology used to assess these functions, and concludes with a summary of the results and perspectives on future development. The combination of authoritative research data and insightful perspectives provides a comprehensive overview of this growing field.

    FUNCTIONAL FOODS & CLAIMS: CONCEPTS, STRATEGY OF DEVELOPMENT, REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SCIENTIFIC SUBSTANTIATION OF CLAIMS AND COMMUNICATION TO CONSUMERS
    Nutrition in the 20th Century: From Prevention to Deficiencies to Reduction of Risk Due to Excessive Consumption of Nutrients
    Nutrition at the Turn of the 20th Century: The new Challenges
    The Concept of Optimum Nutrition
    Functional Food: A Nutrient Concept
    Functional Food: A Consensus of the European Scientific Community
    Strategy for the Development of Functional Food
    Type A and Type B Claims
    The Communication Challenge
    Communication of the Functional Effects of a Prebiotic: An Example
    Perspectives in Functional Food Development and the Case of the Prebiotics
    THE GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM: A MAJOR TARGET FOR FUNCTIONAL FOODS
    The Anatomy of the Gastrointestinal System
    The Digestive Functions
    The Motility
    The Endocrinology: Peptide Hormones
    The Defense Mechanisms

    INULIN: A FRUCTAN


    Fructans
    Inulin
    Chicory Inulin
    THE DIGESTIVE FUNCTIONS: INULIN-TYPE FRUCTANS AS NON-DIGESTIBLE OLIGOSACCHARIDES
    Digestion of Carbohydrates in the Gastrointestinal Tract
    The Absorption of Hexoses in the Small Intestine
    Inulin-Type Fructans as Non-Digestible Ologosaccharides (NDOS)
    Inulin-Type Fructans as Non-Digestible Oligosaccharides: Discussion and Conclusion
    THE DIGESTIVE FUNCTIONS: INULIN-TYPE FRUCTANS AS FERMENTABLE CARBOHYDRATES
    The Colon as a Fermenter
    The Anaerobic Fermentation of Proteins
    The Anaerobic Fermentation of Carbohydrates
    The Anaerobic Fermentation of Inulin-Type Fructans
    THE DIGESTIVE FUNCTIONS: INULIN AND OLIGOFRUCTOSE AS DIETARY FIBER
    Dietary Fiber: A Concept in Human Nutrition
    Inulin and Oligofructose as Dietary Fiber
    INULIN AND OLIGOFRUCTOSE AS LOW CALORIE CARBOHYDRATES
    Methodologies to Assess the Energy Value of Inulin-Type Fructans
    Assessment of the Energy Value of Inulin and Oligofructose: Results and Discussion
    Inulin and Oligofructose as Low Calorie Carbohydrates: Conclusions
    INULIN-TYPE FRUCTANS AND THE GASTROINTESTINAL FUNCTIONS: CONCLUSIONS AND PERSPECTIVES
    INULIN-TYPE FRUCTANS AND THE MODULATION OF THE INTESTINAL MICROFLORA: THE PREBIOTIC EFFECTS
    Prebiotics: Definition and Requirements for Scientific Substantiation
    Methodologies to Study the Composition of the Gut Microflora
    Inulin-Type Fructans Classify as Prebiotic:  The Scientific Substantiation
    Inulin-Type Fructans as Prebiotics: Discussion & Perspectives
    INULIN-TYPE FRUCTANS AND THE INTESTINAL ABSORPTION OF MINERALS
    The Physiology of Calcium
    The Physiology of Magnesium
    The Methodologies to Study Mineral Absorption and Bone Health
    Inulin-Type Fructans and the Gastrointestinal Absorption of Other Minerals
    Inulin-Type Fructans Mineral Absorption and Bone Health: Discussion, Perspectives and Conclusions
    INULIN-TYPE FRUCTANS AND THE HOMEOSTASIS OF LIPIDS
    Biochemistry of Lipid Metabolism
    Inulin-Type Fructans and Lipid Homeostasis
    Inulin-Type Fructans and Lipid Homeostasis: Discussion, Conclusion and Perspectives
    INULIN-TYPE FRUCTANS AND THE DEFENSE FUNCTIONS OF THE BODY
    Introduction: The Defense Functions of the Body
    The Role of the Gastrointestinal System in Body’s Defense
    Nutrition and the Gastrointestinal Defense Functions
    Inulin-Type Fructans and the Gastrointestinal Defense Functions
    Inulin-Type Fructans and the Systemic Defense Functions
    Inulin-Type Fructans and the Defense Functions: Overview, Discussion and Perspectives
    GENERAL DISCUSSION, PERSPECTIVES, AND CONCLUSIONS
    General Discussion
    Conclusions and Perspectives

    Biography

    Roberfroid\, Marcel

    A worthwhile but of course very subject-specialized book, which should appeal to readers from a variety of disciplines including health upkeep, dieting, carbohydrate technology, food chemistry, and plant materials”
    — Carbohydrate Polymers, 63 (2006) 561-570