When Incorporated into Fruit Sorbet Matrix, Are the Fructans in Natural Raw Materials More Beneficial for Bone Health than Commercial Formulation Added Alone?

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Because of the serious consequences of osteoporosis, the prevention of this disease, which is also known as “the Silent Epidemic”, is considered essential to the maintenance of human health. It is crucial to maximize bone mass and strength during childhood and adolescence to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in later periods of life. The optimization of nutrition is one of the most important factors. Special attention should be paid to ensuring sufficient calcium intake, which is a problem in several population groups, and its bioavailability. We assessed the effect of fructans, taking into consideration their source (Jerusalem artichoke, yacon, commercial preparation) and the form of their addition to the diet (alone or as an ingredient of strawberry sorbet). A growing-female-rat model was used to assess the potential functional properties of these non-digestible carbohydrates in/without the “fruit matrix”, during calcium hypoalimentation. We showed that fructans have a protective effect during the inadequate supply of Ca, but their action is related to their source as well as the dietary matrix. It is important to look for new preventive strategies, and our paper gives an insight into various fructan sources, depicting their action and how these natural dietary components can be exploited. ABSTRACT: We assessed the extent to which fructans from various sources and added in various forms (raw materials in diet alone or incorporated into a strawberry matrix) differ in their effectiveness towards selected parameters related to bone health under calcium hypoalimentation in growing female Wistar rats. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of selected parameters involved in calcium metabolism, in response to a 12-week restriction of Ca intake: serum ions (Ca, Mg, P); the activity of alkaline phosphatase—using a BS 120 analyzer; the markers of bone turnover (osteocalcin, CTX; using a Rat-MidTMOsteocalcinEIA Kit and RatLapsTMEIA, respectively); and the bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD), using a Norland Excell Plus Densitometer. Among the examined markers, the CTX concentration increased dramatically under calcium hypoalimentation. The presence of Jerusalem artichoke (independently of the form of addition) and yacon root powder (with strawberry sorbet matrix) in the rats’ diet led to a significantly lower CTX concentration than was observed in the low-calcium control group. The type of fructan influenced the bone mass content. When fructan was added to the low-calcium diet as an ingredient of sorbet, it exerted more pronounced effects on the biochemical parameters of bone metabolism than when added alone, in the growing-female-rat model.