β-fructans are plant carbohydrates that, because of the ß–(2 1) configuration of the fructosyl-fructose glycosidic linkages, resist digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract but are quantitatively fermented in the colon. In last few years they have received increasing interest because of their positive health benefits. So far, few studies are available reporting its presence in commonly consumed foods. The present research focused on analyzing β-fructan content for 26 raw and cooked Indian food samples, using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Β-fructan content was highest in garlic (12.7%), followed by onion (10.2%) and wheat (GW496 variety) (2.3%). Four percent increasing in β-fructan content was observed in ‘chappati’ prepared by roasting, followed by a loss of 17% in ‘puris’ during frying and a maximum loss of 47% in ‘steamed wheat porridge’. Vegetables and fruits like fenugreek leaves, spinach, cabbage, brinjal and apple showed occurrence of β-fructan in the range of 0.02 - 0.88 %. Minor amounts were detected in fenugreek seeds and rice. Β-fructan was not detected in various pulses and legumes namely green gram, red gram dhal, black gram, bengal gram and soyabean as well as in cereals like pearl millet, maize and oat bran. The results will allow for the quantification of β-fructan in the average daily diet of Indians. The data from this study will provide added information to the current database for β-fructan content of commonly consumed foods as well as its contribution to health in form of reducing the risk for cardiovascular diseases.
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