
Inulin powder is widely used in the food industry, with applications in the following key areas:
1. Dairy Products
·Fat Substitute:Inulin powder is an excellent fat substitute. When fully mixed with water, it forms a creamy structure that can impart a smooth texture to low-fat dairy products. Its addition can also promote calcium absorption in dairy products.
·Yogurt Production: Adding 6% inulin powder during yogurt production can reduce whey separation, helping to improve the quality of yogurt. For example, adding 6% to goat milk yogurt enhances its texture.
·Functional Dairy Products: Leveraging the special nutritional functions of inulin powder, various functional dairy products can be made. For instance, adding fructooligosaccharides to non-fermented dairy products helps address issues like constipation in infants, young children, and the elderly.
2. Bakery Products
·Improving Dough Properties: Inulin powder, similar in appearance to wheat flour with its white powder form, has excellent hydrophilicity. After absorbing water, it forms a fine and smooth texture. These properties improve dough processing performance, enhancing product quality and nutritional value.
·Optimizing Nutritional Profile: Studies have shown that inulin powder can increase dough formation time, stability time, and farinograph index, while reducing dough weakening. Biscuits with added inulin are crispy, with a uniform texture and golden color. Their in vitro digestibility is lower than that of regular biscuits. Inulin can also increase the porosity, volume, and specific volume of bread, shorten baking time, and delay staling.
3. Meat Products
·Fat or Starch Substitute: In meat products, inulin powder is often used as a substitute for fat or starch-based substances to reduce product energy, increase dietary fiber content, and enhance nutritional functions. For example, partially replacing fat in sausages with inulin can increase hardness, adhesiveness, and resilience while reducing elasticity, chewiness, and cohesiveness.
·Cryoprotectant: Inulin powder can also serve as a cryoprotectant in fish and meat products, with short-chain inulin providing the best cryoprotective effects, followed by natural inulin.
4. Beverages
·Enhancing Water-Binding Capacity: Inulin powder is easily soluble in water and is relatively stable at a pH greater than 4. It is widely used in various beverages. When added to fruit juices, functional drinks, sports drinks, powdered drinks, and plant-based protein drinks, it can replace fat and sugar, enhance water-binding capacity, increase viscosity, and contribute to high dietary fiber content.
·Improving Taste and Flavor: Adding inulin powder increases the thickness of beverages, addresses the thin mouthfeel of plant-based protein drinks, enhances creaminess, and improves texture and flavor. It also increases the absorption rate of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and iron, while masking their bitterness.
5. Other Applications
·Extending Shelf Life: Inulin powder has strong hygroscopicity and the ability to bind free water, reducing water activity. This property can be utilized in food processing to slow water evaporation, prevent flavor loss, and extend the shelf life and preservation period of products.
·Sauces and Condiments: Inulin powder can be used as a thickening and stabilizing agent in condiments like sauces, ketchup, mayonnaise, jams, cream, and soy sauce.
Inulin powder plays a vital role in the food industry due to its unique physical and chemical properties. It has important applications across various fields, including dairy products, bakery goods, meat products, beverages, and more.