Inulin, occurrence

Detailed studies of the periodate oxidation of dextran and inulin (4-6) have shown evidence for the occurrence of hemiacetal structures formed by reaction of aldehydes with hydroxyl groups of either the same unit (intra-residual) or a neighbouring unit (inter-residual). Inter-residual hemiacetal formation reduces the number of diol struc-... 

Incoll, L.N. and Bonnett, G.D., The occurrence of fructan in food plants, in Inulin and Inulin-Containing Crops, Fuchs, A., Ed., Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1993, pp. 309-322. 

Fructans occur naturally, are predominantly found in plants, fungi, and are produced extra-cellularly by bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans [13]. Plants are the most likely source of inulin for the production of material to be incorporated into foodstuffs due to its abundance in plants and also from a safety perspective. Inulin is found in the tubers and roots of the plant family Compositae which includes aster, dandelion, dahlias, comos, burdock, goldenrod, chicory, lettuce, and Jerusalem artichoke [14,15]. Van Loo et al. [16] identified the quantity of inulin in various plants as well as their degree of polymerization (O Table 3). An extensive review of occurrence and distribution of fructans in nature is provided [16,17,18]. 

Incoll LD, Bonnett GD (1993) The occurrence of fructan in food plants. In Fuchs A (ed) Inulin and inulin containing crops. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, p. 309... 

Occurrence d-F. occurs in the free form both in the plant kingdom and in mammalian sperm, it also occurs in bound form as di-, oligo-, and polysaccharides the most important sources are sucrose and inulin. In the human organism d-F. is found only in trace amounts in blood, sperm, and amniotic fluid. d-F. is used as a sugar substitute in pharmacy and dietetics for diabetics. 

Plants are the most important producers of polysaccharides. Their main products are cellulose, hemicellulose, starch, inulin and pectin. Cellulose is hy far the most abundant renewable polymer available worldwide, its occurrence was estimated at some lO -lO tons per annum. ... 

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