Inulin
A chain of fructose beads. Ours comes from Jerusalem artichoke root.
What it is
Inulin is a chain of fructose beads, usually with one glucose on the end. Plants such as chicory, Jerusalem artichoke, onions, garlic, leeks and asparagus use it to store energy, the way potatoes use starch.
Chains run from a few beads to dozens. Ours comes from Jerusalem artichoke root, which is not an artichoke and not from Jerusalem. It’s a knobbly tuber from a kind of sunflower.
AnnouncerBiff does not actually own a fork. He ferments.
Jerusalem artichoke is neither an artichoke nor from Jerusalem. It’s a tuber from a kind of sunflower, and it’s full of inulin.
Try your tools on it
The fructose beads are joined by a kind of link (a beta-2,1 bond) that none of your own enzymes can cut. So inulin slides through the stomach and small intestine untouched and arrives in the colon whole.
A plate of inulin
glucose fructose
Who eats it, Downtown
Bifidobacteria are among the first in line. Plenty of other colon microbes eat it too.
Biff
Lacey
ShortyWhat they make
Short-chain fatty acids, mainly acetate, plus lactate, which neighbouring microbes turn into butyrate. And gas: hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
Serve the inulin to the crew and see what they make.
Where you’ll find it
- Chicory root
Jerusalem artichoke
Onions- Garlic
- Leeks
- Asparagus
Where it ends up: Downtown, on the map.
Coming up next on Channel GG
FOS
Shorter chains of the same beads. Bifidobacteria love them. Onions and bananas carry some.