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 is directed to stabilizing functionalized polymers and compositions containing polysaccharides and polysaccharide derivatives functionalized with amine, alkyl and/or alkyl/amine moieties, and methods for reducing swelling of soils and especially clay-containing soils with stabilization functionalized polymers and compositions of the invention.

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.

The invention is directed to stabilizing functionalized polymers and compositions containing polysaccharides and polysaccharide derivatives functionalized with amine, alkyl and/or alkyl/amine moieties, and methods for reducing swelling of soils and especially clay-containing soils with stabilization functionalized polymers and compositions of the invention.

The present invention regards the synthesis of bioconjugated molecules, formed between two or more of the following functional groups: sugars, prebiotics, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, triglycerides, fatty acids, fatty acids esters, anti-inflammatories; with its production process by biocatalyzed synthesis with hydrolases such as esterases, proteases, lipases or cutinases, and its purification with several methods that include washing and drying. In addition, its applications in foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, such as: prebiotic nutraceutical, anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, intestinal vector, techno-functional ingredient for food applications (emulsifier, fat substitute) and cosmetic emollient; which are possible since these are non toxic molecules according to the Ames tests.

The present invention relates to a novel stationary phase support for liquid chromatographic chiral separations. The specific combination of the special underlying support material and certain classes of known chiral selectors according to the invention produces far superior chiral (enantiomeric) separations than those obtained on any conventionally known supports. These chiral (enantiomeric) separations are enhanced in terms of significantly higher efficiencies (theoretical plate numbers), higher resolutions (R.sub.s), shorter retention times and either equivalent or slightly higher selectivities than those obtained on conventional supports.

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.