Jerusalem Artichoke: the Paleo Sweetener

[230gr]

Jerusalem Artichoke: the Paleo Sweetener         
Jerusalem Artichoke Powder Sweetener, available as 90% inulin, has a delicate, sweet taste and low glycemic index. Inulin is a fructo-oligosaccharide which is non-digestible and has minimal impact on blood sugar.  Considered a diabetic-friendly sweetener, also good for people with Candida infections. Used with prebiotics, it encourages the growth of friendly beneficial flora of the intestinal tract. The usual amount used is1 teaspoon for mildly sweetness and increase flavor.

Breaking Down Inulin into Simple Sugars
The inulin polysaccharide can be broken down by prolonged slow roasting with low, moist heat into 80 % fructose and 20 % glucose sugars which can be used in brewing alcohol or baking. 

Hot Water Method of Extracting Inulin
•   The clean the Jerusalem artichoke tubers, peeled and cut into slices.
•   Place the sliced tubers into a blender and blended with five volumes of 160 to 180oF water.
•   The blended mixture is allowed to stand for 60 min. at 160oF with constant stirring.
•   The suspension was filtered and residue was re-extracted using the same steps
•   The non-soluble filtrates from the two extractions can be added to soup and stews or fed to animals while the liquid is saved and cooled.
•   Inulin solubility is 35% at 200oF but only 6% at 50oF so if the filtered liquid is sufficiently cooled or partially y frozen nearly all the inulin will precipitate out.
•   Alternatively, the cooled liquid can have ethanol added to it until the inulin stops precipitating.
•   Then pour off the cold water or water/ethanol mixture saving the precipitant inulin which is then dried and powdered. 

Whole Raw Jerusalem Artichoke Tuber
 Made from the whole dehydrated tuber, it has a nice sweet taste for use as a sweetener.
It is also gel forming and can be used as a thickening agent for yogurt, smoothies, and juices,
and even gravies. In bread, it causes the bread to bake faster and adds great texture to all baked goods. It can be use as a sugar replacement in a wide range of products and is highly recommended for use in infant formulas.
Raw (fresh) Jerusalem artichoke tubers have 14-19 % inulin;  but the dry whole Jerusalem artichoke tuber contains 65% inulin and typically 8% sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose). 

Eating Fresh Tubers
Fresh tubers eaten in the summer or fall will give you some minerals, a few vitamins, and some fiber but the inulin will generally pass through the digestive track unless gut bacteria eat the inulin providing absorbable vitamins, sugars, improved calcium absorption ….and methane gas. Your system will adjust to increasing inulin in the diet but, taken in excess or before your gut flora have adjusted, cause notable flatulence.
However, after the first frost of the year and during cold storage, the tuber starts producing a slow-acting enzyme which breaks the inulin down into simple sugars that the plant will use to grow new stalks in the spring. We can better digest and metabolize these simple sugars so waiting until late winter to harvest the tubers allows for getting calories (in the form of glucose, fructose and sucrose) from them.

[TWP]

"...notable flatulence..."

Confirm on this

Cooking is the preferred method of consumption.

I will say they are tasty

Using them for alcohol production (think fuel before consumables) is a good idea and could be combined with other starch and sugar rich vegetables to increase alcohol production.

[230gr]

It is the inulin! Eat them raw or deep fried (the fries are delicious) and the inulin does not transform into fructose. While we can not digest it directly but our gut microbes can and make more than a bit of methane doing so.

trying to substitute them for potatoes in a roast and they just make it way too sweet for my tastes. The Indians it roasted them in sweet globes which eliminated the gas.