The effects of inulin on the microbial composition and faecal characteristics in 36 healthy, formula-fed infants (average age 7.7 months) given 3 different daily dosages of native inulin (0.75 g/day, 1.00 g/day, and 1.25 g/day) were studied. At all levels of inulin consumption, a significant (p<0.05) reduction of potential pathogenic microorganisms such as clostridia was found. An intake of 1.25 g/day of inulin caused a significant (p<0.05) increase of Bifidobacterium spp. as well as a significant (p<0.05) decline in Gram-positive cocci and coliform bacteria.

Inulin as a heterogeneous blend of fructose polymers is diversely found in nature primarily as storage carbohydrates in plants. Besides, inulin is believed to induce certain techno-functional and associated properties in food systems. Inulin owing to its foam forming ability has been successfully used as fat replacer in quite a wide range of products as dairy and baked products. Furthermore, it is known to impart certain nutritional and therapeutic benefits that extend apart to improve health and reduce the risk of many lifestyle related diseases. Additionally, as a functional ingredient, Inulin has been adopted in various efficacy studies involving animal and human studies to function as a prebiotic, in promoting good digestive health, influencing lipid metabolism and has some beneficial roles in ensuring optimum levels of glucose and insulin. This review article is an attempt to present a comprehensive overview on both techno-functional and therapeutic potential of inulin.

The continuous proliferation of intestinal stem cells followed by their tightly regulated diferentiation to epithelial cells is essential for the maintenance of the gut epithelial barrier and its functions. How these processes are tuned by diet and gut microbiome is an important, but poorly understood question. Dietary soluble fbers, such as inulin, are known for their ability to impact the gut bacterial community and gut epithelium, and their consumption has been usually associated with health improvement in mice and humans. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that inulin consumption modifes the composition of colonic bacteria and this impacts intestinal stem cells functions, thus affecting the epithelial structure.

Bifidobacterium longum (BL999), Lactobacillus rhamonosus (LPR), prebiotics (inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides), and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) are believed to have health benefits. In a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial we compared growth and development of toddlers fed milk containing synbiotics (BL999, LPR, and prebiotics) and LCPUFA or a control milk. We conclude that in healthy toddlers milk containing synbiotics and LCPUFA provides better growth and promotes favorable gut colonization, as shown by higher Lactobacillus counts

A randomized, double-blind, controlled feeding trial was done with 18 healthy elderly volunteers (age, 162 years) using a synbiotic comprising Bifidobacterium bifidum BB-02 and Bifidobacterium lactis BL-01 (probiotics ) together with an inulin-based prebiotic. Synbiotic consumption increased the size and diversity of protective fecal bifidobacterial populations, which are often very much reduced in older people.