Chemical and Functional Properties of Food Saccharides

13
CONTENTS
© 2004 by CRC Press LLC
Fructans: Occurrence
and Application in Food
Werner Praznik, Ewa Cie´slik,
and Anton Huber
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Occurrence and Analytical Approach to Fructan Crops
13.3 Fructans in Crops: Biosynthesis and Properties
13.4 Fructan Crops
13.4.1 Composites
13.4.2 Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.)
13.4.3 Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.)
13.4.4 Globe Artichoke (Cynara Scolymus L.)
13.4.5 Monocotyledons
13.4.6 Liliaceae
13.4.7 Allium L. Species
13.4.8 Poaceae (Cereals, Grasses)
13.4.9 Asparagaceae
13.4.10 Amaryllidaceae
13.4.11 Agavaceae
References
13.1 INTRODUCTION
Worldwide, fructans are important components in human nutrition, with slight differences
due to geographic and cultural peculiarities. Sprouts of chicory; tubers of
Jerusalem artichoke; globes of artichoke, onion, leek, garlic; and sprouts of asparagus
are used as vegetables in different ways of preparation. Onion, garlic, and chives
are used as spices or taste-providing components in many kinds of food. All the
listed cultivars contain fructans in different amounts as reserve carbohydrate. Another
source of fructans are caryopses of grasses and flours of wheat, rye, oat, and barley,
which contain between 1 and 7% fructans, depending on the degree of fine milling
and applied technological processing. As the human intestinal tract lacks enzymes
that depolymerize fructans, their metabolic processing is rather low, and thus they
may be attributed as dietary fiber materials. Due to this fact, food manufacturers are