Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique

Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (Inra)

Guy Della Valle

Marie-Christine Ralet

Jean-Francois Thibault

Jean F Thibault

Plant-wall-rich product with enhanced water-soluble polysaccharide

Plant wall-rich products originating, for example, from higher plants naturally rich in pectins, algae, or from by-products, such as wheat bran, potato pulp, shells or oil works residues, and the like, are modified to contain a fraction of water-soluble polysaccharides which is higher than, in particular equal to at least twice that existing naturally, without modification of their overall chemical composition. To obtain them, water is added, if necessary to the natural product in the divided state, to form a mixture capable of undergoing a shearing treatment, and the resulting product is subjected to a shearing force before extrusion, resulting in modified products as aggregates which can be converted into powder. By means of aqueous extraction, performed directly on the extruded product, a water-soluble fraction is obtained, from which there are isolated, for example, pectins, with a degree of methylation .gtoreq.75%, and the extraction residue which, after drying and grinding, can be employed as alimentary fibers, as the extruded product which, having a low water content, can be directly employed.

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Nantes, France

Guy Della Valle