01741naa a2200181 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902400510006010000200011124500790013126000090021052012110021965000200143065000110145065300230146165300200148477300550150410068292019-04-01       1995    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d7 ahttps://doi.org/10.1108/000707095100856572DOI1 aROBINSON, R. K.  aThe potential of inulin as a functional ingredient.h[electronic resource]  c1995  aA functional food is now defined as one that has an enhanced physiological effect[1], and it is no surprise that yogurts and/or bio-yogurts fall into this category. The beneficial features of these products are normally associated with the bio-availability of minerals or the properties of the starter culture for, whether the latter organisms survive digestion and become implanted[2], or merely act as a source of enzymes and vitamins following autolysis[3], the benefits are well documented. In normal yogurt, various attempts have been made to enhance these functional properties further by including sources of dietary fibre/non-digestible carbohydrates but, needless to say, such end-products tend to have limited organoleptic appeal. Nevertheless, few people doubt the wisdom of consuming crude fibre on a regular basis to improve the transit of waste materials through the colon[4], or that other non-digestible plant materials can be important components of the diet of adult humans. The oligosaccharides are one category of these non-digestible carbohydrates that could prove attractive as functional ingredients[5], and inulin, in particular, could be of especial interest to the dairy industry.  aBifidobacterium  aInulin  aAlimento funcional  aFunctional food  tBritish Food Journalgv. 97, n. 4, p. 30-32, 1995.