How does Inulin Work as a Functional

Food Ingredient in Baked Goods?

Eleanor Baker
March 13th, 2014

Introduction
Inulin-type prebiotics are utilized as functional food ingredients in baked
goods and other commercial products.1 According to the Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics, a functional food is defined as a food that may have positive effects on
health if that food is a part of a regular, varied diet and can be consumed regularly in
amounts that evidence has deemed beneficial.2 Inulin is a function food ingredient
because of its ability to act as a soluble dietary fiber and a prebiotic. When inulin is
regularly incorporated in a diet, it will increase bowl movements, stimulate healthpromoting bacteria in the gut, and reduce the risk of certain diseases. The average
American diet does not contain enough dietary fiber to meet the recommend
guidelines of 25-35g per day. The average consumption of inulin-type fructans
(soluble dietary fibers) for Americans is between 1 and 4 g. Inulin is a considered a
dietary fiber because it is a carbohydrate-type, edible plant cell that resists
hydrolysis by digestive enzymes as well as absorption in the small intestine and is
hydrolyzed and fermented by colonic bacteria in the lower gastrointestine.3 Due to
their -(21) fructosyl-fructose glycosidic linkages they are able to resist digestion
until they reach the colon and are fermented. This fermentation results in total or
partial hydrolysis of inulin and stimulates health-promoting bacteria and at the
same time it decreases the amount of harmful bacteria in the gut.3 It is able to reach
the distal end of the gut because of its chemical properties that resist digestion until
inulin reaches the colon where it is hydrolyzed and fermented.4

Chemical structure
The inulin is a complex carbohydrate that is made up of fructose units that
are bonded together to form a polysaccharide.1 Inulin members belong to the
fructan group that represent plant oligo- and polysaccharides whose glycosidic
bonds are made up of one or more fructosyl-fructose linkages. If the chain includes a
glucose (G) molecule it will be referred to GFn inulin, if the fructan contains no
glucose it will be referred to as Fn. The n refers to the number of fructose units in the
fructan.4 If a fructosyl-glucose linkage is present, it is typically seen as the starting
link of the polymer chain. Enzymes secreted by the small intestine may partially
hydrolyze the bond that link glucose to fructose and form free glucose.4 When
fructose polymers are formed they can be branched or linear.4 Inulin-type fructans
consist mainly -(21) fructosyl-fructose linkages that make up its linear
polydisperse carbohydrate material. The degree of polymerization (DP) is the
number of repeat units in an oligomer or polymer chain. DP greater than or equal to
10 results in long-chain fructans that have high molecular weights. If the degree of
polymerization is less than 10 this inulin-type fructan is considered a short-chain
fructan with low molecular weights.5 Time, pH and temperature may affect the
chemical structure of the inulin depending on the source.7

Sources of Inulin
Inulin can be found naturally in dicotyledonous plants.6 Common sources are
onions, bananas, wheat, garlic, leeks, dahlia tuber and Jerusalem artichokes.3,6,7,8
Commercially processed inulin is often extracted from chicory roots which belongs

to the compositae family. The inulin extracted from the fresh native chicory roots is
nonfractionated inulin. The DP of chicory root inulin ranges from 2 to about 60
units. The average degree of polymerization for the root is about 12. 10% of the
fructan chains in chicory root have DP between 2 and 5 units. Oligofructose is
another form of inulin that is considered GRAS (generally regarded as safe) in the
United States. Oligofructose is produced by the partial enzymatic hydrolysis of
inulin using an endoinulinase. The DP of oligofructose varies from 2 to 7 and has a
low molecular weight. Oligofructose can also be created from sucrose enzymatically
using the fungal enzyme -fructosidase.3 Both inulin in its natural form and in the
form of oligofructose have been used in a variety of baked goods to achieve different
outcomes for the products tested.

Physical Properties of Inulin as a Functional Ingredient in Baked Goods

Inulin is a desirable functional ingredient for baked goods because it is a
prebiotic, dietary fiber that is able to replace fat and sugar in recipes. These
replacements enable manufactures to produce heath-promoting products with
lower fat content, potentially lower calories and increased dietary fiber. The
improvement of the product can help boost sales by appealing to consumers wants
and needs while improving their health. Benefits of inulin are allowed to be included
on the label and help to draw customers to the item. Ultimately, health benefits
alone will not attract a customer so the product must look, smell and taste good for
it to sell.

Maillard Reaction
The Maillard reaction gives baked goods an attractive golden brown
appearance and emits bready smells. This series of reactions occur when an amine
and a reducing sugar (disacharride or monosaccharide) are heated or stored
together for a period of time. Color change will occur slowly, starting from colorless
to golden brown, progressing to a reddish brown and finally dark brown.1 During
the Maillard reaction, volatiles are released which have an affect on the flavor of the
bread. The toasty aroma released is responsible for the smell of a wheat crust that is
expected of a wheat loaf. Without the aroma, the loaf may not meet the standards of
the consumers. Research showed that inulin enhanced bread coloration and
accelerated its baking. The results exhibited that a higher percentage of inulin
(>5%) in the bread increased baking time to 17 minutes as compared to the control
(0% inulin) that baked for 20 minutes to achieve the same characteristics. The
addition of inulin not only accelerated baking time, it also enhanced crust coloration
and the formation of flavor compounds thus making it more appealing to the
consumer.9
Dough development
Fat replaced by inulin tended to decrease the viscosity of the batter.
There is a strong correlation between fat replacement by inulin and batter
flowabiliy. Inulin is naturally a carbohydrate-based fat replacement and needs a
higher amount of water in the batter compared to fat. When 50% of fat is replaced
by inulin in the batter more water is needed creating a significantly higher moisture
content in the muffins.6 The water absorption by the batter decreased as the amount

of inulin contents increased because of its carbohydrate properties.10 Decreasing the

amount of fat will reduce the amount of air bubbles incorporated into the batter
during beating. Baking the batter expands the air bubbles and gives the bread
volume. As the inulin to fat ratio increases, the volume of the loaf will decrease
because of the reduced amount of incorporated air bubbles. Where 50% of fat was
replaced by inulin a volume reduction of 5-10% was seen as compared to the
control. The mass of the loaf remained the same but the loss of volume was reduced,
resulting in higher crumb density. Other factors that were significantly affected
were springiness, and crumb firmness. The addition of inulin strengthened the
bonds in the three-dimensional crumb network and increased the springiness of the
crumb. Crumb firmness correlates with density, due to increased fat replacement
and decreased in volume.
According to the findings above, the amount of fat replaced in the product
should be strictly monitored to achieve ideal outcomes. Complete replacement of fat
significantly increased moisture content of the muffin from 21.20 0.63%
(reference) to 29.38 0.42% and decreased the volume from 106.8 2.1cm3
(reference) to 92.6 3.2cm3. When only 50% of the fat was replaced with inulin the
results yielded muffins with a moisture percentage of 21.20 0.63% (reference)
and 26.02 0.64%, volume reaching 106.8 2.1cm3 (reference) and 97.5 1.8cm3.5
From the data it is blatantly apparent how the amount of fat replaced by inulin will
greatly determine the outcome of the product.

Rheological characteristics
A characteristic of good quality dough is minimal elasticity. Unfortunately, an
increase of inulin in the dough results in more elasticity. The characteristics of inulin
had a positive correlation with the doughs resistance to deformation in the
experimental bread. This may be caused by the inulin-inulin or inulin-gluten
interactions that form the gluten network. Inulin did work well with the gluten
network of dough and tended to increase the stability of it. Addition of about 5%
inulin was the best for achieving similar characteristics to that of the control dough
while having minimal consequences on dough structure.9 Inulin enhanced dough is
ideal because it is resistant to deformation which increases its shelf life and
provides a family with the health benefits of the prebiotic soluble dietary fiber,
inulin, for a longer period of time.
Health Benefits
Dietary Fiber
The American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) defines dietary fiber as
the edible parts of plants or analogous carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion
and absorption in the human small intestine with complete or partial fermentation
in the large intestine.6 Five main attributes of a dietary fiber are: edible parts of a
plant cell; carbohydrates (both oligosaccharides and polysaccharides); not
hydrolyzed by human enzymes and are not absorbed in the small intestine; are
partially or totally hydrolyzed and fermented in the colon by bacteria.3 Inulin is an
analogous carbohydrate that meets the basic attributes of a dietary fiber. Since it is
typically derived from a dicotyledonous plant, such as Jerusalem artichoke or

chicory root, it is an edible part of a plant cell. Inulin-type fructans are a linear
polydisperse carbohydrate material.3 Inulin is not hydrolyzed by human enzymes in
the small intestine were is able to bypasses absorption until it reaches the colon
where it undergoes bacterial fermentation.4 High dietary fiber intake (25g of
soluble fiber) has also been correlated with decreased risk of stroke11 Also the
inclusion of adequate amounts of dietary fibers can prevent or reduce bowel
dysfunctions, and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes
mellitus. Dietary fiber add bulk to food helping them pass through the digestive
system and easing strain put on the body.12 Dietary fiber is an essential part to a
healthy GI tract and prebiotics complement it by providing health benefiting
bacteria to ferment some of those fibers.
Prebiotic
Inulins ability to undergo bacterial fermentation in the colon makes it a
prebiotic that stimulates the health promoting bacteria in the gut. Specifically, inulin
prebotics are bifidogenic because they stimulate the bifidocateria species. Prebiotics
are categorized by their ability to promote the growth of specific probiotic bacteria
in the gut. The -(21) fructosyl-fructose glycosidic bond enables inulin to resist
enzymatic hydrolysis in the mouth and small intestine of humans. By resisting
enzymatic breakdown they are able to reach the colon intact where they undergo
bacterial fermentation. Inulin-type prebiotics are used in baked good as functional
food ingredients. Many commercially produced inulin consist of a different fructan
molecules with a varying degrees of polymerization.4 Inulin stimulates the beneficial
flora, bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and possibly others species like clostridium

coccoides-Eubacterium rectale. These bacterial flora colonize the mucus layer, the
mucosa, or the particulate materials in the lumen of the colon. Research has shown
that a diet with regular amounts of inulin increased bifidobacteria and lactobacilli
counts in the mucosa (+1 and 0.5 log10 cfu/g of mucosa, respectively).3 The degree
of polymerization affects where fermentation in the colon will occur. For this
reason, inulin-type prebiotics do not have the same effects in the large bowel.4
Colon
By improving the number of benficial bacteria on the mucosal surface, there is a
decrease for gastrointestinal infections from enteric pathogens and systemic
infections with the movement of gut bacteria. Inulin-type fructans are beneficial to
the intestinal mucosal morphometry (the height of villi, depth of crypts, the number
of goblet cells) and mucus layer thickness. Research with rats showed that a diet
that included the prebiotic inulin increased the height of the villi and the depth of
the crypts in rats feed inulin-type fructans.13
Lower Body Weight
Research has shown that adequate amounts of dietary fiber are positively
linked to low body weight and weight management. This is due to increased bulk of
food due to the consumption of fiber as well as increased satiety. Inulin consumed
over the long term may increase satiety due to its prebiotic properties, this is
theorized to be correlated with the fermentation process of the prebiotic. The study
noted that the weight loss due to the prebiotic effects were greater in subjects who
had low amounts of microflora to begin with. In summary, the addition of

supplemental inulin may be beneficial to specific groups for weight loss if they have
low levels of microflora.9
Conclusion
In summary, inulin-type fructans are a functional food ingredient because
they have health promoting characteristics that positively affect one or more
functions in the body that nutritive properties cannot.3 As a functional food
ingredient, inulin is used as a healthful replacement of fat and sugar in baked goods.
Also, inulin speeds up the Maillard reaction in baked goods resulting in quicker bake
times, smaller loaves, increased crumb density, springiness and less incorporated
air in the dough. They are praised for their attributes as soluble dietary fibers and as
prebiotics. Inulins ability to resist digestion is due to its -(21) fructosyl-fructose
linkages that cannot be broken down by the small intestine. This enables inulin to
reach the colon virtually intact where it will undergo hydrolysis and fermentation.
Its prebiotic traits are noted because inulin is able to increase beneficial bacterial
flora by stimulating bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the colon.
Application to Dietetics Practice
Many Americans are not obtaining enough dietary fiber every day and fall
short of the recommended guidelines set by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
of 35g per day. The average American eats less than half (14g/day) of the daily
recommended amount.14 By adding inulin to baked goods, consumers will have
better access to dietary fiber and can reap the benefits with out substantially
changing their diets.15 Recommending a diet high in dietary fiber can aid in
preventing or reducing symptoms of bowel dysfunctions, CVD, T2DM, and stroke.11,

12

Encouraging patients to include inulin in their diets will increase their dietary

fiber and improve their colon health because it is also a prebiotic. Prebiotics
increase amounts of healthful bacterial flora in the colon will create a more
advanced absorption system in the intestines. Studies have also revealed that,
depending on the patients microflora level, consuming inulin may increase satiety
levels over the long term and result in weight loss.

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