Tag: Fos vs inulin

While often discussed interchangeably, fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin are not the same; they are both types of fructans, but they differ significantly in their degree of polymerization, or chain length. These structural differences dictate how they are fermented by gut bacteria, leading to distinct physiological effects within the body.

While often confused, inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are not the same thing, with the key difference lying in their molecular structure. Although both are prebiotics derived from fructose chains, inulin has a longer chain length, while FOS consists of shorter chains, affecting how and where they are fermented by gut bacteria.