Chemistry 2: Inulin

[not2late]

Scott mentioned inulin as a way to mimick sugar's properties in sugar-less foods. There's a relatively new fiber supplement on the market called Fiber Sure (http://www.fibersure.com). It's 100% inulin: no bulking agents according to the nutritional info. I bought some about 2 or 3 weeks ago. Anyhow, it does have a slightly sweet taste on its own, but it's nearly tasteless when added to food or drinks. The website has "recipes", but basically they are things like chili con carne with a few tablespoons of the Fibersure added to it, in order to boost the food's fiber content.

I haven't tried to use Fibersure in anything like a low carb ice cream recipe or something similiar to that. Would it work? And how much of the inulin would be needed to mimick the sugar properties?

[scott123]

Megs, inulin and polydextrose (polyd) are pretty much interchangeable. Inulin is polymerized fructose and polyd is polymerized dextrose. Subbing them for each other will give you indistinguishible results. Although I've never seen an inulin based ice cream, there are a bunch of polyd based ice cream recipes floating around cyberspace (polyd is a lot more popular due to it's being a fraction of the price).

Here is my current ice cream recipe. You may or may not have all ingredients, but it'll give you an idea of the players involved in ice cream chemistry. Should you decide to make this with inulin, it'll sub perfectly for the polyd.

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My ice cream recipe isn't perfect, but it's pretty close. Here's where it's at:

2 1/2 C. heavy/whipping cream
1 1/2 C. low carb milk (calorie countdown 2%)
1/4 C. + 2 T. Erythritol
3/4 C. Polydextrose
1/4 C. + 2 T. splenda (or liquid equivalent)
1/4 t. Sweet One brand Ace K
1 T. glycerin
1/2 t. liquid lecithin
1/2 t. xanthan gum
1/4 t. guar gum
4 egg yolks, beaten

Sprinkle xanthan gum/guar gum into cream/milk while whisking vigorously. Bring milk/cream to a boil, remove from heat and let cool for 5 min. In a separate bowl combine erythritol and polyd and mix well. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour the erythritol/polyd into the milk/cream. Whisk eggs vigorously in a separate bowl until pale. Temper the eggs by very slowly pouring in about 1/3 of the milk into the eggs while whisking vigorously. Then whisk the egg mixture into the milk/cream. Heat everything in a double boiler, using a silicon spatula to stir the mixture constantly until it coats the back of a spoon.



Take off heat/remove bowl from water and continue stirring a minute or two while it cools. Strain.

Chill in a sealed container. Follow ice cream maker directions. Makes 2 medium-sized batches of ice cream in a 1qt. ice cream maker.

This is an unflavored base. Vanilla/Vanilla bean is an obvious addition, as are low carb fruits, peanut butter, chocolate, you name it.

Notes

Ideally, the polyd shouldn't clump if you pour it slowly and whisk vigorously. Small clumps should melt during the cooking process but large ones may not. If you do end up with large clumps, it won't the end of the world- they'll end up being strained out.

The combination of sweeteners, the ratio of polyd to erythritol, the ratio of erythritol to the other ingredients, the quantity of glycerin- these have all been carefully researched and thought out. If you don't have all the ingredients on hand, I'd either track them down or make another recipe. The only slightly optional ingredient in this is the lecithin. If you don't have it on hand, the lecithin in the eggs might be enough to emulsify this recipe.

Eventually I plan on working some specialized ingredients into this recipe such as carageenan (seaweed extracted gum) and possibly milk proteins such as casein, along with a better tasting emulsifier than liquid lecithin.

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The polyd (or in your case inulin) is indispensible for:

adding thickness to the base (so it whips up more in the ice cream machine)
adding sugary texture/slight amount of chewiness
helping lowering the freezing point for a more scoopable/smoother ice cream
preventing the erythritol from crystallizing/having a cooling effect
helping to emulsify the milkfat and the water in the milk/cream to create smaller ice crystals

Unfortunately inulin isn't that great of a freezing point depressor, so to obtain the right amount of scoopability, other ingredients are necessary. Erythritol happens to be an extremely powerful freezing point depressor and glycerin is not too bad either.

Other than ice cream... An inulin syrup is pretty much a carbon copy for unsweetened corn syrup. The only thing better at providing sugary texture than inulin/polyd are sugar alcohols. As much as I applaud metamucil for offering pure inulin to the public (hopefully at a competitive price), it really doesn't need to be hidden in food like medicine. Polyd can be used to make just about any dessert. The exact same thing goes for inulin. Adding faux corn syrup to chili, is, imo, kind of silly when you can use it for dessert and make something that will blow your mind. Inulin brownies... whoah... look out. You want a chewy brownie? This is what you use.

Btw, both inulin and polyd are at least close relatives of the polysaccharides found in beans, if not one in the same (I'm still researching it), so you might want to go easy on it your first few times and see how your body reacts. Gas seems to be the biggest complaint, which is fairly benign when you compare it to the much more violent reactions to sugar alcohols. Like beans, sensitivities should fade with everyday use, although I've run into one or two people who can't tolerate it... period.

[not2late]

They are the same polysaccharides in beans, jerusalem artichokes and some other veggies that are escaping my mind. In fact, that's why I bought it. Inulin has been associated with stabilizing blood sugar, lowering LDL cholesterol and it's also a "prebiotic" for the good gut bacteria. But I also remembered seeing inulin added as an ingredient for some low carb products....

I'll have to experiment with "cooking" the Fibersure as an active ingredient, and not some sneaky way to add fiber to stew.

Currently, I mix a teaspoon into my cottage cheese or into my mint tea. It is...ummm....interesting. It took my system about a week to get used to it at its lowest dose.

[dotsamantha]

This is absolutely fascinating, using and combining different sweeteners has been my latest mission and this conversation is definitely a wealth of knowledge.

[not2late]

Dots, I've used other fiber supplements like Benefiber (hydrolyzed guar gum) for some things, like as a "thickener/stabilizer" for those Atkins Revolution Rolls. It doesn't "thicken" like flour or cornstarch, but it gives just enough body to the liquid. It's been awhile, but I've made faux potato pancakes with grated turnips and a teaspoon or two of Benefiber mixed into the egg and turnip mixture. Again, it sorta (but not quite) mimicks the flour that is traditionally used. I also made some fried faux-tato sticks with a combo of the Benefiber and powdered eggwhite. They gave the fauxtatoes enough body so it held together while frying.

[Bren]

Megs, Inulin is the ingredient in the Dreamfields pasta.

Dreamfields also contains a special fiber called Inulin, that has been shown scientifically to promote digestive health and support a healthy immune system, while enhancing calcium absorption for strong bones and teeth.

It touts a 5 net carb label and from all the testing we have done with it here, there has never been a spike, in fact......... Mr. B's readings are always low after eating it. 2bigs suggested it may take longer to react, but we have tested at many different intervals and never any bad results.

[not2late]

Bren , Fibersure has 6 total carbs, 5 fiber grams for a 1 teaspoon serving. I didn't add it to my regimen for the blood sugar or cholesterol effects, but more for the prebiotic effect.

It took about a week for my system to get used to it. But it finally has

[scott123]

Originally Posted by not2late

They are the same polysaccharides in beans, jerusalem artichokes and some other veggies that are escaping my mind.

Thanks for confirming that. A few people have asked me if beano would help the gas issues that some people experience with polyd/inulin. I've told them that it would prevent gas, but at the same time, it would break down the polysaccharides and make them digestible, thus increasing the carb impact dramatically.

What I'm wondering at the moment, though, is what actually happens when people develop a tolerance to beans? I'm pretty sure that when people drink milk more regularly, their bodies create more of the lactose digesting enzyme lactase. If regular polysaccharide consumption generates additional polysaccharide digesting enzymes... we may have a problem carb impact wise.

Btw, I'm not sure how fibersure is labeled, but, in case you weren't aware of it, inulin has trace fructose carbs. Manufacturers have fought a pretty large legal battle in an attempt to define polymerized sugars (inulin/polyd) as fiber on nutritional labeling, but I don't think they've won it yet. Both inulin and polyd clock in at around 90% fiber, a little moisture, and about 6% residual sugar.

[dotsamantha]

I just picked up Sweetleaf http://www.sweetleaf.com/ . The ingredients are Frutafit® Inulin Fiber (FOS), Stevia Extract (standardized to a minimum of 90% Steviosides, including 40% Rebaudiosides A.) Apparently there are flavors also. I enjoy kitchen chemistry.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by scott123

Btw, I'm not sure how fibersure is labeled, but, in case you weren't aware of it, inulin has trace fructose carbs. Manufacturers have fought a pretty large legal battle in an attempt to define polymerized sugars (inulin/polyd) as fiber on nutritional labeling, but I don't think they've won it yet. Both inulin and polyd clock in at around 90% fiber, a little moisture, and about 6% residual sugar.

Ingredients read 100% inulin (natural plant fiber).

Nutritional info is 1 serving = 1 teaspoon, 6 total bars, 5 fiber grams.