INULIN: unique among the polyglucides with significant functional properties and biotechnological perspectives

Inulins are plants reserve polyglucides with functional properties that depend significantly on the degree of polymerization and their molecular mass (polydispersity index).Most nutritionists recommend increasing dietary inulin levels due to an impressive number of potential therapeutic effects on the health of the gastrointestinal tract, especially colon, but do not exclude a number of systemic effects related to the prevention of certain cancers and to the reducing of inflammatory processes in the body.However, there are medical studies that correlate fructolysis in the small intestine (possible for oligofructans of up to 10 carbon atoms) with negative effects, characteristic of irritable bowel syndrome.The most common method of obtaining inulins is the extraction from chicory in a manner similar to sugar obtaining.Fermentative or enzymatic synthesis of inulin are also being developed, but they are more expensive.With the exception of sugar beet, most transgenic plants accumulate significantly lower amounts of fructans (10 mg/g) compared to plants that naturally produce and accumulate fructans (60-150 mg/g).We can recall a significant number of industrial applications of inulin, from the formulation of drugs used in colon disorders and medical tests for kidney evaluation to various uses in the food industry (dairy, bakery) or water treatment.