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

July 16, 2024

In recent years, the development and utilization of inulin have received high attention from the international food industry and have been widely used in various foods such as dairy products, beverages, noodles, meat products, etc.

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01
Dairy products

Inulin, as an excellent fat substitute, forms a creamy structure when completely mixed with water, which can give skim milk a smooth texture. The addition of inulin can promote the absorption of calcium in dairy products by the human body. In the production of yogurt, adding 6% inulin can reduce the whey precipitation rate and help improve the quality of yogurt. The taste of the product obtained by adding 6% inulin to goat milk yogurt is better.
Research has shown that adding inulin to low-fat yogurt is beneficial for the growth and fermentation of probiotics such as Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and increases the number of viable bacteria during yogurt storage. Adding 2% to 4% inulin can also increase the hardness of yogurt fermented with different lactobacilli or bifidobacteria using Streptococcus thermophilus.
The appropriate fat replacement level of inulin in solid yogurt is 40%, and the appropriate addition amounts of short chain and long-chain inulin in skim milk beverages are 4%~10% and 4%~6%, respectively.

By utilizing the special nutritional functions of inulin, various functional dairy products can be made. For example, adding oligofructose to non fermented dairy products can solve problems such as overheating and constipation in infants, young children, and middle-aged and elderly people. It also has the effect of reducing blood lipids and blood sugar; Adding low-dose inulin to skim milk can significantly enhance the growth and lifespan of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium lactis in non fat fermented milk; Supplementing a certain amount of inulin rich in oligofructose in infant diet can promote the gut microbiota to be closer to breastfeeding levels, and is safe and effective.

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02
Noodle products

The appearance of inulin is similar to wheat flour, appearing as a white powder with good hydrophilicity. After absorbing water, it can form a delicate and smooth texture. By utilizing these characteristics of inulin, the processing performance of dough can be improved, product quality and nutritional value can be enhanced, and the nutritional structure of the product can be optimized.
Research has shown that inulin can increase the formation time, stability time, flour quality index, tensile resistance, stretching ratio, and stretching energy of dough, and reduce the degree of dough weakening. This is related to the fact that inulin increases the emulsifying activity of wheat protein, reduces the β - folding content, and crosslinks with wheat protein.
The effect of inulin is closely related to its average polymerization degree and addition amount. If an excessive amount of long-chain inulin (>5%) is added, it will have a significant negative effect on the quality of dough and its products, which may be attributed to the high molecular weight and strong hydrophobicity of long-chain inulin. During the kneading process, it is easy to form sticky small particles when exposed to water, resulting in uneven kneading and damage to the gluten network structure;
For short chain and natural inulin, due to their low average degree of polymerization and containing a certain amount of oligosaccharides, they have good hydrophilicity, are easy to dissolve or disperse in water, and are easy to disperse evenly in dough. Therefore, at a certain amount of addition (<10%), it can promote the fermentation process of dough, increase the total gas production and gas holding capacity of dough, give the product a small, uniform and dense air chamber inside, and a soft and elastic texture, which helps to improve the yield and quality of the product.

Crispy cookies with added inulin have a crispy texture, uniform texture, golden color, and lower in vitro digestibility than regular cookies. Inulin can increase the porosity, volume, and specific volume of bread, shorten baking time, and delay bread aging.

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03
Meat products

In meat products, inulin is often used as a substitute for fats or starches to reduce product energy, increase dietary fiber content, and enhance the nutritional function of the product. The partial substitution of inulin for oil in sausage will increase its hardness, adhesiveness and resilience to a certain extent, and reduce its elasticity, chewiness and cohesiveness, which is mainly related to the softer texture of fat than inulin gel.
Adding 20% inulin to beef balls can reduce fat and trans fatty acid content, water content, salt content, cooking loss and redness variable value, and increase brightness value and ash content. Replacing the fat in Lyon style sausages with 0.2% -3.0% inulin reduces the fat content by 32% -88%, improves the juiciness, and reduces the roughness and hardness of the meat.
Inulin can also be used as a cryoprotectant for fish products. Studies have shown that adding 1.5% inulin to silver carp fish mince produces the best product quality. The hydroxyl group in inulin can bind to proteins, inhibiting protein aggregation. The hydrogen bonds in the hydroxyl group can also bind to water molecules, reducing the mobility of water molecules and the content of frozen water, inhibiting the formation and growth of ice crystals. Therefore, inulin has a certain degree of antifreeze protection.

Short chain inulin has the best anti freezing protection effect, followed by natural inulin, while long-chain inulin has the worst anti freezing protection effect. This may be attributed to the fact that some low molecular weight sugars in short chain inulin are more likely to expose free hydroxyl groups and form intermolecular hydrogen bonds with water, while long-chain inulin is more prone to intramolecular bonding due to its long chain.

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04
Beverages

Inulin is easily soluble in water and relatively stable to heat when the pH of the solution is above 4, making it widely used in various beverages. Adding inulin to products such as fruit juice drinks, functional drinks, sports drinks, solid drinks, and plant-based protein drinks can not only replace fat and sugar, improve the product's water binding capacity, and increase viscosity, but also give the product high dietary fiber content, increase the absorption rate of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and iron (>20%), and mask its bitter taste.
The addition of inulin can increase the viscosity of beverages, solve the problem of thin taste in plant-based protein drinks, make the milk fat feel stronger and give a soft feeling, make the flavor of the beverage stronger and the texture better. Inulin can promote the absorption rate of calcium up to 70%. Therefore, beverages containing inulin not only have the function of nourishing nutrients, but also promote growth and development and prevent osteoporosis. Beverages containing inulin can significantly promote intestinal peristalsis in the elderly and increase bowel movements by 13%.

05
Other aspects

Adding inulin to bean products can improve their gel properties and texture characteristics. Inulin can increase the viscoelasticity and gel of tender tofu, which may be related to the water retention and gelling properties of inulin. Inulin can be used as a natural antioxidant in the oil industry.
Research has shown that inulin has a certain antioxidant effect on rapeseed oil and has a synergistic effect with VC, citric acid, etc. 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 is nutritious and healthy. When fresh cut fruits are coated with inulin solution, the degree of browning is reduced, and the shelf life, mechanical properties, and water retention of the product are improved.

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06
Summary

The application fields and scope of inulin with different polymerization degrees. The degree of polymerization can affect the solubility, water holding capacity, swelling, adsorption, crystallinity, gelling properties, texture characteristics, and food processing stability of inulin. Therefore, it is necessary to have a deeper understanding of the advantages and limitations of different polymerization degrees of inulin in different food systems. For example, long-chain inulin is suitable for replacing fat, thickening, and improving texture, while short chain inulin is more suitable for use in beverages and frozen desserts.

The interactions between inulin and other molecules in the food system such as proteins, starch, fats, and water. Due to the complexity of food systems, the addition of inulin can alter the interactions between molecules in the original food system. For example, inulin can 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, alter the emulsifying properties, network structure, molecular secondary and higher structures of proteins, and thus affect the processing and storage performance of food, altering its flavor characteristics and sensory quality.

Shaanxi Huike Botanical Development Co., Ltd. a integrated enterprise which is focus on natural products, Plant extract related products and services.We mainly focus on pharmaceutical, functional food, Freeze-dried powder,Natural Pigment,Homology of medicine and food,beverages and other business services.
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2024-07-16

Shaanxi Huike Botanical Development Co., Ltd.

Author:

Ms. Anne

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

01 Dairy products

02 Noodle products

03 Meat products

04 Beverages

05 Other aspects

06 Summary