Comparison of fructan yield of foreign cultivars and indigenous landrace of chicory and optimizing its extraction by response surface method (RSM)

Chicory plant is known as one of the main sources of industrial and commercial production of inulin. Inulin composition and its functional features depend on various parameters, including genetic characteristics and plant origin, growth environmental conditions and harvesting time, and also extraction method as well as the post extraction methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate native and exotic cultivars of chicory in terms of inulin production efficiency. The Results showed that the efficiency of inulin in indigenous landrace was relatively low while foreign cultivars revealed higher inulin content. By considering the significant difference between root weight and inulin content, foreign genotype (Orchies) was chosen to achieve optimal conditions for extracting inulin-type fructans. Response Surface Methodology and Central Composite Design were employed to investigate the effect of independent variables of time (20 to 60 min), temperature (50 to 80° C) and water to solids ratio (5:1-12:1) on the extraction efficiency. The Results demonstrated that the most effective factors in the efficiency of inulin extraction were temperature and the ratio of water to solids, while, the time had less effect on the extraction process.