Tiense Suikerraffinaderij N.v.

Raffinerie Tirlemontoise S.a.

Mississippi State University

Tiense Suikerraffiinaderij N.v.

Sudzucker Aktiengesellschaft Mannheim/ochsenfurt

Jan Van Loo

Anne Frippiat

Georges Smits

Wolfgang Wach

Karl Booten

Paul Coussement

Marcel Roberfroid

Randal K Buddington

Nathalie Delzenne

Inulin products which consist of a particular mixture of an easily fermentable inulin (EFI) component and a hardly fermentable inulin (HFI) component are provided. The products have advantageous nutritional effects/benefits which include dietary fiber effects, improved mineral absorption, particularly calcium and magnesium, bone mineral density increase, reduction of bone mineral density loss, modulation of lipid metabolism, stimulation of the immune system, and anti-cancer effects.

Inulin products with improved nutritional properties

A process for the recovery of betaine from a molasses comprises a conversion step, in which the molasses is subjected to the action of an enzyme having endo-inulinase activity and/or fructosyltransferase activity, to form a fructan-containing molasses (fructan-molasses); a separation step, in which the fructan-molasses is subjected to a chromatographic separation, thereby obtaining a betaine-containing fraction.

Process for the recovery of betaine from molasses

A process for the recovery of betaine from a raw material consisting essentially of molasses. The process includes a demineralization step, a conversion step and a separation step. In the demineralization step the overall amount of salts in the molasses is brought to a level lying below 2 wt. % (on overall dry matter). In the conversion step the molasses is subjected to the action of a fructan-forming enzyme, to form a fructan-containing molasses (fructan-molasses). Finally in the separation step, the fructan-molasses is subjected to a chromatographic separation, thereby obtaining a betaine-containing fraction. Whereby the demineralization step is executed prior to the separation step and whereby demineralization step may be executed prior to, during, or subsequent to the conversion step. The raw material may alternatively contain or consist essentially of thick juice.

The invention relates to novel inulin products and compositions thereof, to their manufacture, to their use for modifying and modulating the bacterial flora and the fermentation pattern of inulin in the large intestine of humans, mammals or other vertebrates, to their use for providing improved inulin-associated nutritional effects/benefits, as well as to their use for the manufacture of consumer products and compositions for providing said effects/benefits in healthy, disfunctioned and diseased humans, mammals and other vertebrates. The novel inulin products consist of a particular mixture of an easily fermentable inulin (EFI) component and a hardly fermentable inulin (HFI) component. The nutritional effects/benefits include dietary fiber effects, improved mineral absorption, particularly calcium and magnesium, bone mineral density increase, reduction of bone mineral density loss, modulation of lipid metabolism, stimulation of the immune system, and anti-cancer effects. The novel inulin products are particularly suitable for the manufacture of a composition or a medicament for preventing, for postponing and/or for treating osteoporosis in humans, particularly in post-menopausal women and elderly people.

The use of a dietary fiber or a mixture of dietary fibers for the manufacture of a composition, being a pharmaceutical composition or a functional food or a functional feed, for the prevention, the inhibition and/or the treatment of systemic infections in humans and in vertebrates caused by pathogenic bacteria is disclosed. A method for the prevention, the inhibition and/or the treatment of systemic infections in humans and in vertebrates caused by pathogenic bacteria, comprising administration to said beings, orally, through tube feeding or rectally, a composition containing an effective amount of a dietary fiber or mixture of dietary fibers is also disclosed. The dietary fiber is preferably a fructan, typically inulin and/or oligofructose, most preferably chicory inulin with an average degree of polymerizationof at least 20.

Inhibition of systemic infections in humans and vertebrates by dietary fibers

Fructan containing composition for the prevention and treatment of colon cancer and method for the prevention and treatment of same

The invention relates to the use of inulin, oligofructose or their derivatives as functional ingredients in functional food, functional feed, OTC and pharmaceutical composition to prevent mammary carcinogenesis or treat breast cancer.

Growing community of inventors

St. Agatha Rode, Belgium

Jan Van Loo