Fructan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A fructan is a polymer of fructose molecules. They occur in foods such as:

• artichokes
• asparagus
• green beans
• leeks
• onions (including spring onion)
• wheat

In animal fodder, fructans also appear in grass, with dietary implications for horses and other equidae

There are 3 types of fructans:

1. Inulin - linear fructans generally linked by β(2→1) glycosidic bonds
2. Levan - linear fructans generally linked by β(2→6) glycosidic bonds
3. Graminan - branched fructans linked by both β(2→1) and β(2→6) glycosidic bonds

Contents 1 See also 2 References 3 External links 4 Functions

[edit] See also

• Fructose intolerance
• Fructose malabsorption
• Sucrose
• Prebiotic (nutrition)

[edit] References

Sugar - Chemical, Biological and Nutritional Aspects of Sucrose. John Yudkin, Jack Edelman and Leslie Hough (1971, 1973). The Butterworth Group. ISBN 0-408-70172-2

[edit] External links

• The Fructan Page

[edit] Functions

Plants storing their food as fructans are able to thrive at low temperatures since fructans confer tolerance to freezing. They bind to membranes, thereby helping to keep cells intact