Chemical and Functional Properties of Food Saccharides

Mass Fraction
© 2004 by CRC Press LLC
1.2
0.9
0.6
0.3
0
0.5 1 1.5 2
lg(dp)
FIGURE 13.4 Degree of polymerization distribution (m_dpD_d) for inulin from chicory by
calibrated SEC (for details see Figure 13.3). ææ: Raftilin ® ST (commercial product), mean
values of DP from m_dpD_d are DP w = 15, DP n = 7 (including mono- and disaccharides);
ææ: Raftilin ® HP (commercial product), mean values of DP from m_dpD_d are DP w =
34, DP n = 24 (including mono- and disaccharides).
Chicory is used in several applications. Combination of bitter compounds and
fructans from sliced chicory roots with additional ingredients such as malt, barley,
and fig in a roasting process provides a “healthy” and compliant coffee surrogate.
Hydrolytic depolymerization of inulin to fructose even provides basic material for
manufacturing nutrition products for diabetics.
Nondigestibility of inulin in the human intestinal tract makes this material a tool
to test renal clearance. In the last decade, the fact of indigestibility became increasingly
interesting from the point of view of soluble dietary fibers. As consumer request
for functional and healthy food increases exponentially, tailored fructooligosaccharides
and inulin perfectly match the request of application profiles of prebiotic
goods in various market segments (Figure 13.4). Domination of large-scale fructan
production from chicory is supported by the relatively simple cultivation of the crops,
easy harvesting of the roots, and utilization of existing sugar beet processing technology.
The most crucial point in isolation and purification of inulin is the quantitative
elimination of salts and bitter compounds. Finally obtained distribution of
fructan polymers may be controlled by chicory cultivar and period of harvesting and
may be determined prior to harvesting by chromatography. 25,26
Isolation of inulin-type fructans from chicory by hot-water extraction from sliced
chicory roots runs similar to the processing of sugar beets. Their current annual
production is ca. 100,000 t and is on the rise. If specific distribution profiles of inulin