Chicory, inulin from

A detailed characterization of the physical and chemical properties of (1) chicory inulin, (2) a high-DP fraction of inulin, and (3) fructooligosaccharides (oligofructose) is presented in Table 5.6. A similar assessment for Jerusalem artichoke inulin is not currently available. Due to the lower average degree of polymerization of Jerusalem artichoke inulin, the properties will differ somewhat from those for chicory. As the percent inulin in water increases (Table 5.7), the viscosity increases, which affects the physical properties of the product in which it is an ingredient. 

Berghofer, E., Cramer, A., Schmidt, U., and Veigl, M., Pilot-scale production of inulin from chicory roots and its use in food stuffs, in Inulin and Inulin-Containing Crops, Fuchs, A., Ed., Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1993, pp. 77-84. 

International classification A23K1/16, A23L1/052, A23L1/308 The invention relates to the use of inulin, oligofructose, or their derivatives as functional ingredients in food, feed, and pharmaceutical composition to prevent mammary carcinogenesis or treat breast cancer. The active ingredients are obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of native inulin from chicory or Jerusalem artichoke. 

Polysaccharides that exclusively contain D-fructose are known as fructans and there are two known kinds, inulin and levan. Inulin is a polysaccharide containing -D-fructofuranose linked (2 1) [118]. Inulins are found in the roots and tubers of the family of plants known as the Compositae, which includes asters, dandelions, dahlias, cosmos, burdock, goldenrod, chicory, lettuce, and Jerusalem artichokes. Other sources are from the Liliacae family, which includes lily bulbs, onion, hyacinth, and tulip bulbs. Inulins are also produced by certain species of algae [119]. Several bacterial strains of Streptococcus mutans also produce an extracellular inulin from sucrose [120]. 

In order to demonstrate that scale-up can be successfully performed from lab to commercial scale, we performed the atomization of inulin (a polysaccharide extracted from chicory root) from NMP solutions (300 g/L) by antisolvent with supercritical CO2 (20 MPa, 40 °C) After the first test a lab scale (XO.l), we prepared samples in three plants 2 g in XI, 20 g in XIO, and 200 g in XlOO (80). As shown in Figure 11, the particle size distributions (by volume) are strictly the same at the three scales in the range for which we want to obtain a nondusty powder. Moreover, this work permits us to show that the fluid/substance ratio ( 50 kg/kg) can be optimized at a much lower value than generally stated in most publications (500-10,000). Extended work is now ongoing on therapeutic molecules and for smaller-sized particles on a large scale. 

Most of prebiotics are nondigestible oligosaccharides they are obtained by extraction from plants (e.g., inulin from chicory), possibly followed by enzymatic hydrolysis (e.g., oligofructose from inulin), or by synthesis from mono or disaccharides. Among all the prebiotics, innlin, and oligosaccharides are certainly the most studied and have been recognized as dietary libers in the world. The most important prebiotics are presented in Table 37.2. 

Prebiotics are obtained either by extraction from the plants, such as inulin from chicory roots by enzymatic hydrolysis of plant polysaccharides, such as XOS or by transgalactosylation reactions catalyzed by an enzyme, such as GOS and FOS. 

Figure 15. Mole heat capacity of inulin from chicory (1) [4, 134] and wood cellulose with zero...

Di-D-fructose dianhydrides have also been isolated" from commercial chicory, which is used as an additive for coffee or in coffee substitutes. Chicory is obtained by roasting the roots of chicory (Cichorium sp.), a member of the Compositae, which contains inulin (in its roots) as a storage polysaccharide. 

The catalyzed telomerization of butadiene has been applied to other polysaccharides such as inulin (22) (Fig. 20) which is a polyfructose extracted from Jerusalem artichokes (tuber) or from chicory (roots). This soluble polymer is easily telomerized under mild conditions and the degree of substimtion is also dependent on the reaction conditions [20] (Fig. 20). 

FOS and oligofuctose are fructose oligomers that are either produced by enzymic conversion of sugar or extracted from chicory, as inulin, and then hydrolysed. These products behave as soluble fibres and prebiotics. In acid conditions, they can hydrolyse, but are usually sufficiently stable for short-shelf-life juices, near-water products with low acid levels or powdered soft drinks. Prebiotic activity varies with preparation and required daily dose can be as low as 2.5-5.0 g/day for shorter chain FOS preparations (DP 2 1). Some positive effects on magnesium absorption and calcium absorption (in some populations) have also been shown (Beghin Meiji, 2001). 

There is a growing interest in the inclusion of soluble fibre into the diet to help improve health. This is extending to drinks as well, with such fibre being added to milk- and fruit-based products such as smoothies . One source of soluble fibre which has attracted attention over the last few years is inulin or oligofiuc-tans. Inulin consists of oligosaccharides that are extracted from chicory or Jerusalem artichokes and that are claimed to improve colon function and to have prebiotic properties, enhancing the working of the gut. Inulin is a complex carbohydrate which can be assayed in a number of different ways. However, there are two published methods in the AO AC manual for its analysis (997.08 and 999.03). 

A relatively small amount of reducing inulo- -oses, fructans without a terminal glucose (Ernst et al., 1996), are formed from fructosyl transfer from inulin to free fructose by 1-FFT. In chicory, they are thought to appear when fructose accumulates during fructan breakdown and 1-FFT activity is still high (Van den Ende and Van Laere, 1996). A similar mechanism is probably operative in Jerusalem artichoke and responsible for the small amounts of inulo- -oses formed (Saengthongpinit and Sajjaanantakul, 2005). 

The patent describes a gelatinized cereal product, which contains inulin derived from a plant source (e.g., chicory or Jerusalem artichoke). Inulin comprises around 0.25% by dry weight. The cereal product may be used as a pet food or breakfast cereal. 

An example looking at a new application of inulin (Figure 14-2). Inulin is a polysaccharide obtained from chicory roots. It is a foodstuff with the interesting properties sweet, nonfattening and healthy. Although it sells well in the food industry, the company is looking for other markets. The question to be answered by a team of three students is could we use inulin as a filler-binder for pharmaceutical tablets ... 

Fructans occur naturally, are predominantly found in plants, fungi, and are produced extra-cellularly by bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans [13]. Plants are the most likely source of inulin for the production of material to be incorporated into foodstuffs due to its abundance in plants and also from a safety perspective. Inulin is found in the tubers and roots of the plant family Compositae which includes aster, dandelion, dahlias, comos, burdock, goldenrod, chicory, lettuce, and Jerusalem artichoke [14,15]. Van Loo et al. [16] identified the quantity of inulin in various plants as well as their degree of polymerization (O Table 3). An extensive review of occurrence and distribution of fructans in nature is provided [16,17,18]. 

Inulin [97,98,99,100] is the only commercial, water-soluble polysaccharide containing D-fruc-tose, a ketose. It is a linear molecule of 8-D-fmctofuranosyl units linked (2— 1). It is much smaller than other gums with chain lengths of only 15-22 units and is much more easily depolymerized under acidic conditions because its monomer units are in the furanosyl ring form. It is obtained mostly from roots of the chicory plant. Because of its small molecular size, hot solutions are relatively non-viscous even at concentrations of 50%. When hot solutions of > 25% concentration are cooled, a particulate gel forms. Inulin is used for its health benefits, viz, as a prebiotic. 

Inulin" Raftiline, Raftincreaming From chicory roots... 

Fructans are oligomers and polymers formed by polymerizing fructose from transport metabolite sucrose on one out of three possible starter trioses 1-kestose yields inulin-type (2 1)-p-D-fructans, 6-kestose yields levan-type (2 6)-p-D-fructans (Fig. 3A), and neo-kes-tose yields mixcD-type and/or branched (2 1), (2 6)-p-D-fructans (Fig. 3C). Pronounced fructan metabolism is found in composites (chicory, Jerusalem artichoke), Liliaceae (onion, chives, garlic), cereals (wheat, barley, rye, oat), Asparagaceae (asparagus), Amaryllidaceae (banana), and Agavaceae (agave). 

Inulin is characterized by a p-(2—>1) linked backbone and is generally found as reserve carbohydrate in plants such as chicory (up to 20%), Jerusalem artichoke, and onion, and also in some bacteria. Plant inulin has a degree of polymerization (DP) with a maximum up to 200, which depends on the plant species and their life-cycle. Bacterial inulin has a much higher DP (from 10,000 to more than 1(X),000) but is also highly branched (>15%). Both DP and the presence of branches are important properties since they influence the functionality of the inulin. Many possible applications demand a high molecular weight inulin like bacterial inulin, but without branches. 

Fmctose (10 g 4) is a relatively harmless sugar for diabetics. In order to obtain it from sucrose, the latter is first inverted by HCl. Sucrose is thereby split into two fmctose molecules. Concentration and crystallization processes are then similar to those described for D-glucose. There is also a polyfmctanoside called inulin that occurs in chicory roots, but its isolation is difficult. 

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