Utilization of Inulin from Arctium Lappa and Certain Soluble Inulins by the Rat

Since 1874 1 inulin-containing plants have been suggested for use in the diabetic diet as substitute carbohydrates. Okey, 2 studying the influence of digestive juices on inulin, found it to be hydrolyzed partially by the hydrochloric acid of the stomach and subject to marked decomposition by the intestinal flora, and concluded that human feces contains an enzyme capable of hydrolyzing inulin into a reducing sugar.

The authors showed that the inulin from Arctium lappa (Burdock root) was utilized by demonstrating its protein-sparing action on the diet of dogs 3 and its capacity to store additional glycogen in the liver of the rat. 4 A physicochemical study of the inulin from Arctium lappa was also conducted in conjunction with this investigation. 5

Yanovsky and Kingsbury 6 prepared inulin from 3 new sources, 2 plants of the Liliaceae and one of the Compositae family, and observed that the inulins obtained from these sources were soluble in water and dilute alcohol. They later submitted quantitative data on the solubility of these inulins. 7

It occurred to the authors that it would be interesting to compare the absorption and utilization of the soluble inulins with the insoluble inulin obtained from Arctium lappa. The authors are indebted to Doctors Yanovsky and Kingsbury of the Carbohydrate Division, Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, United States Department of Agriculture, for a liberal supply of inulin from Camas roots (Quamasia quamash) and from the Wild Onion (Allium nuttallii).