Results and discussion
Inulin-type fructans are a kind of oligosaccharide composed of a
linear or branched fructose polymers with and without a terminal
unit of glucose. Thus, the amount of inulin in the samples was
determined as the amounts of individual sugars (fructose, glucose
and sucrose) after inulinase treatment minus the amounts of the
existing sugars in the original sample. The components of fructooligosaccharides
were analysed as 1-kestose (GF2), nystose (GF3)
and 1F-b-fructofuranosylnystose (GF4). The main reason for using
gas liquid chromatography (GC) for sugars and FOS analyses rather
than using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is
because the resolution of rhamnose (internal standard), fructose,
glucose, sucrose and GF2 to GF4 analysed by GC was sucrose and
milk-derived lactose is resolved.