Chemical and Functional Properties of Food Saccharides

Mass Fraction
© 2004 by CRC Press LLC
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FIGURE 13.6 Degree of polymerization distribution (m_dpD_d) of fructan from Allium L.
species by calibrated SEC (for details see Figure13.3). ææ: garlic fructan (DP 12, mixed
type) fresh from autumn harvest, mean values of DP from m_dpD_d are DP w = 61, DP n =
26 (including mono- and disaccharides); æææ: onion “Centurio” fructan fresh from autumn
harvest, mean values of DP from m_dpD_d are DP w = 3.1, DP n = 2.6 (including mono- and
disaccharides); ææ: autumn harvest after 2 months of cool storage, mean values of DP
from m_dpD_d are DP w = 2.6, DP n = 2.1 (including mono- and disaccharides).
acceptor sucrose, and polymerization continues either exclusively on this terminal
or on both terminal fructosyl residues. Conformational differences between inulin
and sinistrin have been proved by small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), NMR, and
anionic-exchange chromatography with amperometric detection (Dionex). There
exists a high variability in the composition of fructans of monocotyledons and the
actually found structural fructan spectrum strongly depends on cultivars, vegetative
status of the crops, climate, and environmental conditions.
13.4.6 LILIACEAE
0.5 1 1.5 2
lg(dp)
Members of the Liliaceae, for example, onion, leek, garlic and chives, are used
worldwide as vegetables, spices, and tasty components. Most of the well-known
health-preserving and even therapeutical effects of onion and garlic are most
probably due to their sulfur-containing compounds. However, the aqueous-soluble
low- and high-molecular-weight fructans, which are present in onion and garlic in