Learning / English Dictionary

INULIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Used to manufacture fructose and in assessing kidney function

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("inulin" is a kind of...):

polyose; polysaccharide (any of a class of carbohydrates whose molecules contain chains of monosaccharide molecules)

Credits

 Context examples: 

In addition, fermentation of inulin leads to an increase in short-chain fatty acids and lactic acid production, thereby reducing colonic pH, which may further control pathogenic bacteria growth and may contribute to inulin's cancer protective properties.

(Inulin, NCI Thesaurus)

Resisting hydrolysis by intestinal digestive enzymes, inulin and oligofructose serve as growth media and energy substrates for bifidobacteria in the colon; beneficial colonic commensal bacteria such as bifidobacteria may inhibit the colonization of the intestine by pathogenic bacteria and have been implicated to inhibit colon carcinogenesis.

(Oligofructose-enriched inulin, NCI Thesaurus)