The invention relates to a method for processing dandelion plant components, particularly dandelion plant components of the taraxacum kok-saghyz variety, in which, according to the method, rubber is obtained as a first valuable product, said method being characterised by the following steps: A) grinding and/or squeezing the dandelion plant components, preferably while adding water to form a pulp; and B) first separation of the pulp into at least one phase 80 which is high in inulin and low in rubber and at least one phase 90 which is high in rubber and low in inulin, the phase 90 which is high in rubber and low in inulin forming the first valuable product or the first valuable product being obtained from the phase which is high in rubber and low in inulin.

Inulin compositions and plant-based dairy milk alternatives containing these inulin compositions and processes for the preparation and use thereof.

Dandelion processes, compositions and products are provided. One process is a method of preparing dandelion that utilizes a species of a Taraxacum genus, the process including the steps of extracting and recovering a rubber and a carbohydrate from a dandelion root substantially simultaneously. The process employs a dandelion species that is selected from the group consisting of: Taraxacum officianale, Taraxacum kok-saghyz, a rubber-bearing species of the genus Taraxacum, and a combination of two or more thereof. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

The present invention relates to an inulin composition comprising GF.sub.n- and F.sub.m-compounds, in particular for decreasing the risk of sinusitis, preferably for use in the prophylaxis of sinusitis in a subject in need thereof and food, beverages and pharmaceutical compositions containing the inulin composition.

The invention relates to a carboxylate ester of polysaccharide characterized in that it possesses ester bonds with trimellitic anhydride and is soluble in water. The polysaccharide is esterified with trimellitic anhydride and the degree of substitution of the polysaccharide lies in the range of from 0.5 to 3. The invention further relates to methods for the manufacture of these polysaccharides esters in organic solvents, in water or in an extruder or a kneader and to their use in fabric and home care formulations.

A composition contains a silylated polysaccharide, where the silylated polysaccharide is characterized by: (a) having linked fructose, galactose, anhydrogalactose, or glucose saccharide units provided that glycosidic linkages of glucose are alpha linkages and that the silylated polysaccharide is other than a silylated starch; and (b) on average 1 to 100 mole-percent of the hydroxyl groups on the polysaccharide have been silylated with a silyl group having the structure SiR.sub.3 linked to the polysaccharide through a COSi bond where each R is independently selected from hydrocarbyl radicals having from one to 12 carbon atoms, provided that on average at least one R per polysaccharide has a terminally unsaturated carbon-carbon double bond.

An aqueous dispersion of fructan-containing particles, wherein the D.sub.50 of the fructan-containing particles lies between 2 ?m and 50 ?m and the solids content of the aqueous dispersion lies between 61 wt. % and 80 wt. %. Also described is a process for the preparation of an aqueous dispersion of fructan-containing particles comprising: bringing fructan and water together to form a mixture; optionally hydrolyzing a portion of the fructans in the mixture, such that at the end of this step between 5 wt. % and 25 wt. % of all fructans in the mixture are essentially non-soluble at room temperature; optionally bring the mixture into contact with a purification agent, followed by removal of the purification agent from the mixture; and concentrating the mixture such that the solids content lies between 61 and 80%.

The invention relates to methods for isolating carbohydrate alkylcarbamates. The invention further relates to the use of solvents for isolating a carbohydrate alkylcarbamate from a reaction mixture. The invention further relates to carbohydrate alkylcarbamate solutions in a solvent containing groups that are reactive with an isocyanate and the use of such solutions in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, inks, coatings, paints or natural and synthetic emulsion polymers.

The present invention relates to a method for processing a composition comprising fructan and sucrose, comprising the step of incubating a composition comprising fructan and sucrose, preferably inulin and sucrose, with at least one yeast selected from the group consisting of Saccharomyces, and Kluyveromyces. Incubation with these yeasts results in the breakdown of free sugars such that purified fructan compositions are obtained.

Electrospun Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)/Inulin composite nanofibers (CNFs) are provided using electrospinning technique and tested for their prebiotic and antibacterial activities. The PVA/Inulin electrospun CNFs were tested for prebiotic activity with Lactobacillus sp. and for antibacterial activity against both Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). A number of electrospinning parameters such as solution concentration, PVA: Inulin mixing ratio, solution flow rate and applied voltage were carefully varied and the best PVA/Inulin electrospun CNFs (bead free) were selected for prebiotic and antibacterial tests. The concentration of the composite solution varied between 14-20%, the flow rate ranged between 0.005-0.5 mL/min and the applied voltage used ranged between 15-20 Kv. The structural properties and morphology of the PVA/Inulin electrospun CNFs were fully characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).