Inulin Offers Strong Base for Sugar Replacement

By Bryan Tungland


Sugar consumption continues to rise in the U.S. despite U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines that advise consumers to minimize sugar in their diets. Results from the 2003-2004 Center for Disease Control’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), indicate that 17.1% of children and adolescents between two and 19 years of age (more than 12.5 million) are overweight, and 32.2% of adults (over 66 million) are obese. Almost five percent of adults are extremely obese. The incidence of diabetes has also increased 49% from 1990 to 2000 (4.9% to 7.3%), and 94.5% from 1999 to 2000.

The battle against obesity has forced food product formulators across all food and beverage categories to be more creative about the sweeteners they use, and organic products are no exception. Consumers are constantly seeking ways to reduce calorie and fat intake without losing taste, and they expect food processors to make products that meet to these goals.

For years the conventional market has accommodated this trend by creating piles of sugar-free, fat-free, high protein, and low carbohydrate products to meet the strict guidelines of the latest diet craze. Now, the organic industry is following suit. Along with delivering environmentally friendly, pesticide-free products, many organic producers are seeking ways to improve the health appeal of products by replacing high glycemic caloric sweeteners with higher fiber, more healthy sweetener alternatives.

One such sweetener replacement alternative that is garnering the food industry’s attention is inulin, which promises to deliver the organic attributes required by industry formulators, as well as deliver improved health-related benefit to organic consumers.

The Inulin Solution
Glycemic index is the ranking of a food’s immediate effect on blood sugar levels. The higher a food raises blood sugar, the higher its glycemic index. Fruits, grains, dairy products, some vegetables, pastas, and sugary desserts all contain carbohydrates, but have a wide range of glycemic indices.

In terms of creating a new product, formulators are looking for ways to replace traditional low-cost high-glycemic sucrose and fructose with ingredients that add sweetness without raising the glycemic index. Along with reducing the calories in a product these formula changes also can provide functional merit to a product, such as better shelf life.

However, replacing high calorie sweeteners in a product formula is not as easy as it is for other ingredients, such as trading white flour for whole wheat flour. There are few alternative sweeteners that replace sugar or high fructose corn syrup on a one-to-one basis, and for organic processors, whose ingredient palette is limited, the challenge is even greater.

Each product application has specific functional and nutritional needs requiring specific considerations be given for the physio-chemical properties of the sugars. A low glycemic sweetener replacement requires a well-balanced system of ingredients that together can accommodate the many factors that traditional sweeteners add to a product, including sweetness, viscosity, solubility, density, mouthfeel, water attracting properties, dielectric constant (microwave heating), color, browning, freezing point depression and boiling point rise.

As mentioned, one ingredient that shows promise as a foundation for a sweetener replacement system is inulin. Inulins are a group of naturally occurring oligosaccharides (several simple sugars linked together) produced by many types of plants. They belong to a class of carbohydrates known as fructans, which are fructose-containing polymers that occur in common foods, such as Jerusalem artichokes, plums, agave, raisins, chicory root and wheat. Inulin can be used for functional and health reasons in a wide variety of foods and beverages, and it is already being used by some organic processors. Some pure organic forms of inulin are available for import from China and Mexico, while raw ingredients with inulin are easily accessible throughout the organic market.

Applications of inulin as a health ingredient are often related to its properties as soluble, prebiotic fiber, in formulating low carbohydrate foods, and in promoting a healthy microflora, calcium absorption, and immune function in the colon. Inulin also enhances mouthfeel and taste in beverages, yogurt, soups, sauces, spreads and intermediate moisture foods through its unique textural properties.

It is readily soluble in hot water, although solubility depends on the inulin’s length and degree of branching. Those forms of inulin with more branching, such as agave, as well as shorter chain inulins such as partially hydrolized chicory root inulin, are more soluble even in cold water, making them excellent for beverages and high water systems.

It also performs well in cooking and baking applications; and is an easy way to add additional fiber to the diet through foods and drinks.

Inulin ranges from completely bland to subtly sweet and can be used to replace sugar, fat and flour. This is particularly advantageous because inulin contains one-third to one-fourth the food energy of sugar or other carbohydrates and one-sixth to one-ninth the food energy of fat. Nutritionally, it is considered a form of soluble fiber and because it is not broken down into simple sugars by normal digestion it does not elevate blood sugar levels, hence, helping better regulate blood sugar levels.

On its own, this ingredient isn’t a complete replacement for traditional sweeteners, but as part of a sweetener system in combination with other sweet ingredients, such as fructose, sucrose, agave, fruit purees, honey or molasses, it can create a more healthy yet still sweet tasting product.

Figuring out that system is the challenging part. Every product has a different set of requirements, and building a sweetener system to accommodate those requirements is a complex balancing act that requires a lot of tweaking and adjusting of ingredients, including the type of inulin used. For example, inulins that have fewer fructose units, such as those found in Jerusalem artichokes, are more humectant, which means they retain and draw more water. These are ideal for clear beverages, smoothies, yogurts and other highly moist products, such as chewy cookies and nutrition bars. Agave, a popular form of this organic ingredient, is a long-chain branched inulin, which makes it very soluble and ideal for beverage applications. Longer chain inulins, such as those found in chicory root, are less soluble and add more fiber and structure to a product, which is ideal for baked goods, bars, crispy cookies and crackers.

Balancing Properties, Sweet Combinations
Inulin on its own adds about one-tenth the sweetness of sugar to a formula and requires other sweeteners to deliver that flavor. The additional ingredients used in a sweetener system depend on your flavor, texture and solubility goals.

If you combine a long-chain inulin in with organic fructose, which delivers twice the sweetness of sugar, you can create a high fiber, structured sweetener system that typifies sugar but with a lower glycemic property. Because fructose is sweeter than sugar, you can also use half as much of it to achieve the same sweetness. Fructose is highly humectant and doesn’t crystallize, so formulators need to add a small amount of glucose, which adds browning properties, to any sweetener system.

Honey, which is one-and-a-half times as sweet as sugar, also delivers unique color profiles, with dark, amber and light versions, to shape the look of a product. It is not a low glycemic ingredient but because of its higher sweetness you can use less of it to achieve the same level of sweet, which impacts the overall glycemic value of the product. In combination with a short-chain inulin, honey delivers a pleasing sugar-like alternative to moist products, such as cakes or chewy cookies.

Organic agave, which is capable of retaining moisture and is highly soluble, can be combined with organic fructose, honey or molasses, providing softening characteristics and structure to create more solid products such as cookies or muffins.

Inulin systems are also good for sauces, which are typically high is sugar. A longer-chain inulin, such as chicory, in combination with organic honey or fructose for sweetness, actually delivers a better mouthfeel in a tomato-based sauce and a greater perception of tomato solids than traditional sugar, brown sugar or corn syrup solids, with a much lower glycemic level.

Don’t Let Initial Costs Fool You
For any product formulation, the cost of raw materials has to balance with the flavor and texture profile. Many formulators may automatically dismiss some forms of inulin because they cost a lot more than sugar. While sugar is roughly $0.35 a pound, pure sources of inulin can cost $1.40 to $1.70 per pound. But as is often the case, price alone doesn’t deliver the total picture. Inulin’s unique characteristics can directly impact the amount of other, non-sweetener related ingredients required for a formula, affecting the final total cost of a finished product.

Because inulin operates as a flavor mask, suppressing the bitter or flat aftertaste of certain ingredients, such as potassium, soy or vitamin fortifications, formulators can use less of other flavors to balance the taste profile. Simultaneously, it is a flavor potentiator, increasing the perceived intensity of the flavor of other substances in a formula, including fruits and spices which tend to be the most expensive ingredients in a product. When combined with inulin, formulators can use less of these ingredients while still creating a robust flavor sensation.

Certain inulins also help hydrate gums in products, such as salad dressings, enabling formulators to use less gum, which has a substantial impact on cost. Most organic gums cost between $4 and $7 per pound. The cost also can be reduced if you choose more easily accessible raw inulin sources, such as Jerusalem artichoke flour, dried plums or raisins. This can appeal to consumers who would rather see “plum puree” on a label than “inulin.” These ingredients can be pressed or pureed and used directly in a formula, although you must further adjust the formula to accommodate the additional flavors, colors and impurities that come with these raw ingredients.

Ultimately, formulators need to evaluate the total cost of a product, factoring in the impact any ingredient can have on the overall price of the formula, and balance that with the positive impact it can have on creating additional health properties for the finished product. In the area of sweetener alternatives, inulin certainly appears to deliver the elements of sweet success to organic product formulators.

Bryan Tungland, Ph.D., is president, Ingredient Division, TechCom Group, a food science innovation company that specializes in translating food-related scientific advancements into commercial products. He has degrees in biochemistry and microbiology with emphasis on human physiology and nutrition; and has served on the editorial review boards for several peer-reviewed journals and consumer-health publications. Bryan can be reached at tungland@sherbtel.net.