Crisps and syrup made from low bitter chicory products

Abstract

The present invention provides a food product comprising at least 1.5%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, or more, by weight total ingredients of a low bitter chicory plant material or flour. The present invention also provides a method for obtaining a chicory product with reduced bitterness, comprising blanching chicory roots or root chips, drying the blanched chicory root chips, and optionally grinding the dried chicory root chips and incorporating it into flour, dough, or other food products. Also provided is a method for obtaining a chicory taproot with reduced bitterness, comprising cultivating a chicory plant at a soil nitrogen level of 150 lbs per acre or less in the upper 3 feet of the soil.

1 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A method of obtaining an oligofructose syrup with reduced bitterness, comprising:
 (i) cooking chicory taproots of a low bitter chicory plant at a temperature of between 43° C. and 100° C.;   (ii) drying the chicory taproots after cooking to produce chicory chips;   (iii) milling the dried chicory chips to produce low bitter chicory flour;   (iv) sieving the low bitter chicory flour;   (v) suspending the recovered plant material in hot water ranging in temperature from 50° C. to 100° C. to form a heated solution; and   (vi) agitating the heated solution to produce a syrup.   
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein sieving comprises the use of a 30 mesh (0.500 mm), a 40 mesh (0.420 mm), a 45 mesh (0.354 mm), a 50 mesh (0.297 mm), a 60 mesh (0.250 mm), a 70 mesh (0.210 mm), an 80 mesh (0.177 mm), a 100 mesh (0.149 mm) or higher sieve. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein cooking comprises one or more of boiling, microwaving, steaming or blanching unroasted chicory taproots. 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein milling comprises the use of hammer mills, universal mills, pin mills, cutting mills, crushers, mechanical mills with internal classifier, high-compression and table roller mills, jet mills, dry media mills and wet media mills, cryogenic mills, colloid mill, ball mills, impact mills, stirred mills, screen mills, drum mills, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein in step (v) the recovered plant material is boiled at 100° C. for a period of time to kill microbial contaminants. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the syrup is produced by agitating the heated solution until it contains visible particles. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the syrup is produced by agitating the heated solution until it is clear and contains no visible particles. 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 31 , wherein filtration or chromatography is used to clarify and improve the flavor of the syrup. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 31 , wherein the heated solution is filtered through a membrane, charcoal or other media. 
     
     
         34 . An oligofructose syrup obtained or obtainable by the method of  claim 25 . 
     
     
         35 . The oligofructose syrup according to  claim 34 , containing between 1% and 40% or more low bitter chicory plant material. 
     
     
         36 . The oligofructose syrup according to  claim 34 , wherein the chain length is in the range of about 12 to about 20.