El potencial del topinambur en la salud y la nutrición

introduction: the jerusalem artichoke is a tuber high in inulin. inulin is a soluble non-digestible carbohydrate that is present in many vegetables, fruits and cereals and is widely used as an ingredient in functional foods. objective: to get jerusalem artichoke tubers, set various parameters for extraction of inulin and prepare various foods, replacing part of the traditional flour by jerusalem artichoke flour. the objective was also to assess consumer preference over them. material and methods: we planted and harvested four plots with jerusalem artichoke tubers, all with different conditions of irrigation and fertilization. they were stored at various temperatures. inulin content was determined by hplc and extracted from the tubers. from the tubers harvested in plot 3 we prepared flours that were used to partially replace wheat flour in the preparation of different food products, on which an evaluation of preference was carried out. results: the crop yield was higher in plot 3 (fertile land and irrigation upon need), 91 ton / ha. cold storage was the most appropriate method of preservation, but these tubers were not used for the extraction of inulin. food products obtained were deemed appropriate by the judges involved. conclusions: the elaboration of food products from jerusalem artichoke flour could be an alternative to functional foods due to its content of inulin.