Long-chain inulin

1. A food comprising an inulin having an average degree of polymerization DP w of between 54 and 61.

2. The food of claim 1 , wherein said food is dairy, yogurts, ice creams, dairy based smoothies, dairy toppings, puddings, milk shakes, custards, cheeses, nutritional bars, energy bars, breakfast bars, confection, bakery, crackers, cookies, biscuits, grain chips, trail mix, iced tea mix, fruit juice smoothies, weight management drinks, ready to drink beverages, sports drinks, endurance drinks, supplement powdered drink mixes, infant and baby formula, calcium fortified orange juice, bread, croissants, cereals, pastas, bread spreads, sugar free candies and chocolates, calcium candy chews, meat products, mayonnaise, salad dressings, nut butters, frozen entrees, sauces, soups or ready meals.

3. The food of claim 1 , wherein said food is an extrusion product.

4. The food of claim 1 , wherein said food is present in amount effective to modify or modulate the bacterial flora composition in the colon of humans, mammals or other vertebrates.

5. The food of claim 4 , wherein said food is present in amount effective to modify or modulate the distal portion of the colon.

6. The food of claim 1 , wherein said food is present in amount effective to modify or modulate the fermentation pattern of inulin in the colon of humans, mammals or other vertebrates.

7. The food of claim 6 , wherein said food is present in amount effective to modify or modulate the distal portion of the colon.

8. The food of claim 1 , wherein said food is present in amount effective to have a prebiotic action and/or a bifidogenicity.

9. The food of claim 1 , wherein the inulin has an average degree of polymerization DP W of between 55 and 60.

10. The food of claim 9 , wherein the inulin has an average degree of polymerization DP W of between 56 and 57.

11. The food of claim 1 , wherein the glucose content is less than 2%.

12. The food of claim 11 , wherein the glucose content is less than 1%.

13. The food of claim 1 , wherein the fructose content is less than 2.5%.

14. The food of claim 13 , wherein the fructose content is less than 1.5%.

15. The food of claim 1 , wherein the content of fructooligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization (DP) of from 3 to 10 is less than 3%.

16. The food of claim 15 , wherein the content of fructooligosaccharides with a DP of from 3 to 10 is less than 1.5%.

17. The food of claim 16 , wherein the content of fructooligosaccharides with a DP of from 3 to 10 is less than 0.7%.

18. The food of claim 1 , wherein at a concentration of 30% w/v of inulin in water at 90° C. the viscosity is 300-1000 mPas at a shear rate of 20s −1 .

19. A dietary supplement comprising an inulin having an average degree of polymerization DP w of between 54 and 61.