Chicory Root Extract

Common chicory, or Cichorium intybus, is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the dandelion family Asteraceae, is one of the earliest known and most widely used raw materials for the manufacture of coffee substitutes. It was originally grown as a forage crop for livestock and many varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanched buds), or roots (var. sativum), which are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and food additive. 

Chicory Inulin, which is a polymer of fructose with -(2-1) glycosidic linkages, an extract from chicory root, mostly ending with a glucose unit. The degree of polymerization of chicory inulin ranges mainly between 2 and 60 with an average of 10. It has been used in food manufacturing as a sweetener and source of dietary fiber. Chicory root extract inulin is expected to behave like soluble fiber and to have a hypolipidemic effect. Both the fermentability and the bifidogenic effect of chicory fructooligosaccharides have been confirmed in vivo human studies that were performed by feeding human volunteers a standard diet containing chicory inulin fructooligosaccharides.

Inulin Specifications

Dry matter content	≥95.5%
Composition based on dry matter
Total Carbohydrates	≥99.8%
inulin (DP2-60)	≥90.0%
Sugars (Fructose, Glucose, Sucrose)	≤10.0%
Ash	≤0.2%
Heavy metals
Pb	≤0.1mg/kg
As	≤0.05mg/kg
Cd	≤0.1mg/kg
Hg	≤0.01mg/kg

Analytical Methods: Inulin levels in food products can be analyzed by the method: AOAC 997.08 and AOAC 999.03.