Inulin in food products: prebiotic and functional ingredient

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the variety of food in which it has been applied as a prebiotic and functional ingredient, the concentrations used there in, the tests that have been conducted on these fortified foods and briefly reviews the history and characteristics of inulin. Design/methodology/approach - The review included articles from 1999-2013. The papers which reported inulin concentrations used, the purpose of the application and tests on final product, were mainly selected. Articles were collected in electronic databases such as Elsevier-Science Direct, Emerald, Springer Link, Wiley and Redalyc. Findings - The interaction inulin-food with different food matrices is complex, and is not always technologically favorable for the product. Moreover, additional to evaluations of sensory, physicochemical and rheological characteristics, it is essential to carry out measurements in the food, of such characteristics as prebiotic content, and prebiotic activity in vivo and in vitro, and assess potential adverse reactions in order to define suitable doses of consumption. Originality/value - The paper highlights the importance of conducting in vitro and in vivo testing of potential prebiotic inulin-supplemented food in order to define dose that benefit health and do not cause unacceptable gastrointestinal distress.