New inulin test to beat counterfeiters
Jun 2, 2009

Chinese supplier Fenchem says it has developed a test method to ensure inulin is of the highest quality and not adulterated with steroids and other impurities.

The company said it had combined the commonly used United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) with ELSD (Evaporative Light—Scattering Detector) to deliver more accurate readings.

Typical inulin offerings are combinations of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Small amounts of free glucose, free fructose and free sucrose are commonly used as well.

“Theoretically, only the oligosaccharides and polysaccharides can be considered as inulin and act as prebiotic for human health,” Fenchem stated.

“So, the inulin assay should be calculated by the assay of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. However, according to USP method, the calculated inulin assay is composed of not only oligosaccharides and polysaccharides but also free glucose and free sucrose.”

(copy from http://www.nutraingredients.com/Industry/New-inulin-test-to-beat-counterfeiters)

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