The great diversity of products from Cichorium intybus L. culture: how to valorize chicory byproducts: a review
Caroline Rambaud, Magalie Croy, Elodie Choque
Abstract
The production of numerous products from the cultivation of the species Cichorium intybus, such as Belgian endives, chicory drink, salads or inulin, gives rise to numerous byproducts which can represent up to 50% of the cultivated plant. The byproducts are mainly generated in the form of leaves, roots or root pulp. Leaves as byproducts can be used as livestock feed, or as a substrate for fermentation or methanization. They are as a source of phenolic compounds whose content varies greatly depending on the varieties, cultivation or extraction conditions which must be taken into account in the valorization of byproducts. The forced roots and root pulp, a source of inulin, sugars and sesquiterpene lactones also constitute good food for animals but also provide numerous molecules to the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. The richness in inulin and sugars makes it an ideal candidate for biorefineries as well as for producing biobased polymers by bacterial fermentation, or 5-HMF by chemical transformation for bioplastics, which are discussed in detail here. This review details the many application areas that chicory byproducts offer in response to agriculture, green chemistry and circular economy strategies in order to promote sustainable processes and to bring sustainability to an agricultural sector in danger.