How is inulin used in dairy products and what about other types of food?

In recent years the development and utilization of inulin has been highly valued by the international food community, and has been widely used in various types of food such as dairy products, beverages, pasta products, meat products and so on.
Dairy products
As an excellent fat substitute, inulin forms a creamy structure when completely mixed with water, which can give skimmed milk a smooth texture. The addition of inulin promotes the body’s absorption of calcium from dairy products. The addition of 6% inulin in yogurt production will reduce the whey precipitation rate and help improve the quality of the yogurt. Adding 6% inulin to goat’s milk yogurt resulted in a better tasting product.
Studies have shown that adding inulin to low-fat yogurt facilitates the growth and fermentation of probiotics such as Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and increases the number of viable bacteria in the storage period of yogurt. Adding 2%~4% of inulin can also increase the hardness of yogurt in yogurts that utilize Streptococcus thermophilus and different Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium cofermentation.
The appropriate fat replacement level of inulin in curdled yogurt is 40%, and the appropriate additions of short-chain and long-chain inulin in skim milk beverages are 4%-10% and 4%-6%, respectively.
By utilizing the special nutritional function of inulin, various functional dairy products can be made, such as adding oligofructose to non-fermented dairy products, which can solve the problems of infants, young children, middle-aged and old people who are prone to fire and constipation, as well as lowering the effects of blood lipids and blood glucose; adding a low-dose of inulin to skimmed milk can significantly increase the growth and lifespan of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium lactis in nonfat fermented milks; adding a certain amount of inulin-rich fruits to the diets of babies Supplementation of a certain amount of oligofructose-rich inulin can promote the body’s gut microbiota closer to breastfeeding levels and is safe and effective.
Pasta products
The appearance of inulin is similar to wheat flour, in the form of white powder, with good hydrophilicity, and after absorbing water, it can form a delicate and smooth texture. Using these properties of inulin can improve the processing performance of dough, enhance the quality and nutritional value of products, and optimize the nutritional structure of products.
Studies have shown that inulin can increase the formation time, stabilization time, powder index, tensile resistance, tensile ratio and tensile energy of dough, and reduce the degree of weakening of dough, which is related to the role of inulin in increasing the emulsification-active β-folding content of wheat proteins, decreasing the content of β-turning angle, and cross-linking with gluten proteins.
This effect of inulin is closely related to its average degree of polymerization and the amount added. If too much long-chain inulin (>5%) is added, it will have a significant negative effect on the quality of the dough and its products, which may be attributed to the fact that long-chain inulin has a large molecular weight and is highly hydrophobic, and it is very easy to form small sticky particles when it meets water during the mixing process, which leads to uneven mixing and destroys the structure of the gluten network;
For short-chain and natural inulin, due to its lower average polymerization degree and a certain amount of oligosaccharides, its hydrophilicity is good, easy to be dissolved or dispersed in water, and easy to be dispersed uniformly in the process of mixing, so under a certain amount of addition (<10%), it will promote the fermentation process of the dough, increase the total amount of gas production and holding capacity of the dough, and endow the product with fine, uniform and dense gas chambers and soft and elastic quality, which will help to improve the yield and the quality of the product. It helps to improve the yield and quality of the product.
Inulin-added shortbread cookies have fluffy taste, uniform texture, golden color, and lower in vitro digestibility than ordinary cookies. Inulin can increase the porosity, volume and specific volume of bread, shorten the baking time and delay the aging of bread.
Meat products
In meat products, inulin is often used to replace its fat or starch substances to reduce the energy of the product, increase the content of dietary fiber and improve the nutritional function of the product. Inulin partially replaces the fat in sausages, which to some extent increases their hardness, adhesion and recovery and decreases their elasticity, chewiness and cohesiveness, which is mainly related to the fact that the texture of fat is softer than that of inulin gel.
Addition of 20% inulin to beef meatballs resulted in a decrease in fat and TFA content, moisture, salt content, cooking loss and redness variable values, and an increase in brightness value and ash content. Replacing the fat in Lyon style sausages with 0.2%-3.0% inulin reduced the fat content of the sausages by 32%-88%, made them juicier, and reduced the roughness and hardness of the meat.
Inulin can also be used as the cryoprotectant of fish and meat products, research shows that the best quality of the products made by adding 1.5% of inulin in the minced fish of silver carp, the hydroxyl part of inulin can be combined with protein to inhibit the aggregation of protein, and the hydrogen bond in the hydroxyl part can be combined with water molecule to reduce the mobility of the water molecule and the freezable water content, and to inhibit the formation and growth of ice crystals. Therefore, inulin has a certain antifreezing protective effect.
Short-chained inulin has the best antifreeze protection effect, natural inulin has the second best antifreeze protection effect, and long-chained inulin has the worst antifreeze protection effect, which may be attributed to the fact that some low-molecular sugars in short-chained inulin are more prone to free hydroxyls exposure and intermolecular hydrogen bonding with water, whereas long-chained inulin is more prone to intramolecular bonding due to its long chain length.
Drinking
Inulin is easily soluble in water and is relatively stable to heat when the solution pH is greater than 4, so it can be widely used in various beverages. After adding inulin to juice drinks, functional drinks, sports drinks, solid drinks, plant protein drinks, etc., in addition to replacing fat and granulated sugar, improving the water-binding ability of the product and increasing viscosity, it can also give the product a high content of dietary fiber, improve the absorption rate of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron (>20%) and mask its bitter taste.
The addition of inulin can increase the consistency of the drink, solve the problem of thin taste of vegetable protein drinks, make the creaminess stronger and give people a soft feeling, make the drink flavor stronger and better texture, inulin promotes the absorption rate of calcium up to 70%, so the drinks containing inulin not only have the function of prebiotics, but also can promote growth and development and prevent osteoporosis. Drinks with added inulin can significantly promote intestinal peristalsis in the elderly and increase the number of bowel movements by 13%.
Other aspects
Adding inulin to soybean products can improve their gel performance and texture characteristics. Inulin can increase the viscoelasticity and gelatinization of tender tofu, which may be related to the water-holding and gelling properties of inulin. Inulin can be used as a natural antioxidant in the oil and fat industry.
(Studies have shown that inulin has a certain antioxidant effect on canola oil and has a synergistic effect with VC and citric acid). In chocolate, inulin can improve its texture and texture, increase its whiteness and extend its shelf life. Sugar-free chocolate made with inulin instead of sucrose has better viscosity, hardness and color.
Jelly with added inulin has a more uniform texture, better flavor, and nutritional health. Fresh cut fruits, if coated with inulin solution, have reduced browning and improved shelf life, mechanical properties and water retention of the products.
Conclusion
Application fields and scope of inulin with different degrees of polymerization. The degree of polymerization affects the solubility, water-holding, swelling, adsorption, crystallinity, gelling, textural properties and food processing stability of inulin. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the advantages and limitations of different degrees of polymerization of inulin in different food systems is needed, e.g., long-chained inulin is suitable for applications such as replacing fats, thickening, and improving texture, whereas short-chained inulin is more suitable for applications such as beverages and frozen desserts.
Interactions between inulin and other molecules in the food system such as proteins, starches, fats and water. Since food is a very complex system, the addition of inulin will change the interaction between various molecules in the original food system, such as inulin will affect the migration of water with different properties, weaken or enhance the thermodynamic stability of starch, inhibit or promote the aging and crystallization of different types of starch, and change the emulsification properties, network structure, molecular secondary and advanced structure of protein, etc., which will affect the processing and storage performance, change its flavor characteristics and sensory quality.