|
A storage polysaccharide composed of fructose residues linked by β(2 -1) glycosidic bonds. The inulin chain is usually headed by a glucose residue and is 30-40 residues in length. Synthesis of inulin is from sucrose precursors, hence the glucose at the beginning of the chain. Inulin is an important reserve polysaccharide in the Compositae being found in high proportions in the genera Helianthus, Dahlia, Inula, and Chicorium. The tubers of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) may contain up to 58% inulin.
|
