EP4677123A1

EP4677123A1 - Crystallized sugar beet derived product and method of making thereof

Info

Publication number: EP4677123A1
Application number: EP24709414.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ana ROVALINO; Sheila RUIZ BARBERO; Vincent Daniel Maurice Meunier; Patricia MURCIANO MARTINEZ; Lisa Marcela LAMOTHE; Simon Livings; Stefan Palzer
Original assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA; Nestle SA
Current assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA; Nestle SA
Priority date: 2023-03-09
Filing date: 2024-03-08
Publication date: 2026-01-14
Also published as: WO2024184517A1; JP2026507233A; CN120712364A

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of making a sugar beet powder product, said method comprising the steps of obtaining a solid fraction and a liquid fraction from sugar beet, crystallizing sucrose comprised within the liquid fraction, treating the solid fraction to reduce geosmin content, mixing the solid and liquid fractions, and reducing the particle size.

Description

Crystallized sugar beet derived product and method of making thereof

Introduction

Sugar beet is commonly used for the extraction and purification of sucrose. The fibrous portion of the root, commonly known as sugar beet pulp, is one of the side streams of this process. Sugar beet pulp is mainly used for animal feed while its utilization as an ingredient for human consumption is rather limited. This is because most sugar beet derived food products available on the market have earthy flavor notes, and a gritty mouthfeel which limits their use in many food applications. The permanence of earthy notes is a result of the process applied, which often involves the use of organic solvents.

There is a clear need to develop new wholesome sugar beet derived ingredient products which are more nutritious and sustainable, and with improved flavor, stability and mouthfeel properties.

Summary of the invention

The present invention relates to a method of making an ingredient made from raw sugar beet with very good flavor and mouthfeel properties. The method enables the crystallization of sucrose that brings a positive effect in the stability of the ingredient and makes it suitable for being utilized in food applications.

The method typically involves the cleaning of raw sugar beets and the application of heat treatment or pH reduction. It has been shown that the thermal treatment is useful for minimizing geosmin levels which are responsible for earthy flavors characteristic of sugar beets. It also permanently inactivates polyphenol oxidase that produces the browning defect. Without the application of thermal treatment, enzymatic browning of the samples occurs very quickly in a couple of minutes. Another alternative to control the browning is a reduction in the pH of the system. This will not produce a permanent inactivation of the enzyme but could provide some temporary stability as long as the pH is kept within an acidic range. In the present invention, a separation of solid fiber rich and liquid sugar rich fractions is performed. This could be done by using, for example, a pressing device such as a juicer. This fractionation serves as a way to induce crystallization of the sugar rich fraction, thus bringing more stability.

Embodiments of the invention

The invention relates in general to a method of making a sugar beet derived product, said method comprising the steps of obtaining a solid fraction and a liquid fraction from sugar beet, crystallizing sucrose comprised within the liquid fraction, treating the solid fraction to reduce geosmin content, mixing the solid and liquid fractions, and reducing the particle size.

The invention further relates to a method of making a sugar beet derived product, said method comprising the steps of a) Providing sugar beet; b) Inactivating the enzymes present in the sugar beet pieces; c) Obtaining a solid fraction and a liquid fraction from the sugar beet pieces; d) Crystallizing sucrose comprised within the liquid fraction; e) Mixing the solid and liquid fractions; f) Drying the mixture; g) Forming a sugar beet derived product.

The invention further relates to a method of making a sugar beet derived product, said method comprising the steps of a) Providing cut sugar beet pieces; b) Inactivating the enzymes present in the sugar beet pieces; c) Obtaining a solid fraction and a liquid fraction from the sugar beet pieces; d) Crystallizing sucrose comprised within the liquid fraction; e) Thermally treating the solid fraction; f) Mixing the solid and liquid fractions; g) Drying the mixture; h) Reducing the particle size of the mixture to form a sugar beet derived product.

The invention further relates to a method of making a sugar beet derived product, said method comprising the steps of a) Providing cut sugar beet pieces; b) Inactivating the enzymes present in the sugar beet pieces by thermal treatment, preferably by steam treatment; c) Obtaining a solid fraction and a liquid fraction from the sugar beet pieces using a pressing means and optionally further comprising centrifugation; d) Crystallizing sucrose comprised within the liquid fraction, for example by evaporation, at atmospheric pressure or under vacuum; e) Thermally treating the solid fraction to reduce geosmin content, preferably by steam treatment; f) Mixing the solid and liquid fractions; g) Drying the mixture, preferably to a moisture content of less than 3.5 wt%, preferably by convection heating or by vacuum drying; h) Reducing the particle size of the mixture to form a sugar beet derived product.

In one embodiment, the thermal treatment in step b) comprises heating to a temperature between 40 to 100°C, for example, for at least 1 minute.

In one embodiment, the thermal treatment by steam treatment in step b) comprises heating to a temperature between 60 to 90°C, for example, for at least 5 minutes.

In one embodiment, the thermal treatment by steam treatment in step b) comprises heating for 15- 30 minutes at a temperature ranging from 60-80°C.

In one embodiment, the liquid fraction is treated by adjusting the pH of the liquid fraction to a pH value less than 5.

In one embodiment, the liquid fraction is treated by applying thermal treatment to the liquid fraction, wherein the thermal treatment ranges between 70 to 90°C.

In one embodiment, the method does not use organic solvents for example alcohols.

In one embodiment, the liquid fraction is treated by applying increased atmospheric pressure treatment to the liquid fraction.

In one embodiment, the particle size is reduced in step h) so that the D50 particle size is between 250 to 300 microns.

In one embodiment, the particle size is reduced in step h) so that the D90 particle size is between 800 microns to 1 mm.

In one embodiment, the particle size of the mixture is reduced in step h) by grinding. Grinding may be performed using for example a rotor fine granulator. Optionally, ground particles may be further milled using a mill for example an air-jet, colloidal or vortex mill to obtain a smaller particle size.

In one embodiment, the sugar beet derived product is sugar beet powder.

In one embodiment, the sugar beet pieces are peeled.

The invention further relates to an alternative method of making a sugar beet derived product, said method comprising the steps of a) Providing cut sugar beet pieces; b) Obtaining a solid fraction and a liquid fraction from the sugar beet pieces using a pressing means and optionally further comprising centrifugation; c) Adjusting the pH of the liquid fraction to a pH value less than 5 to reduce enzymatic activity; d) Inactivating the enzymes present in the liquid fraction by thermal treatment; e) Adjusting the pH of the liquid fraction to a pH value of 5 or above; f) Crystallizing sucrose comprised within the liquid fraction, for example by evaporation, at atmospheric pressure or under vacuum; g) Thermally treating the solid fraction to reduce geosmin content, preferably by steam treatment; h) Mixing the solid and liquid fractions; i) Drying the mixture, preferably by convection heating or by vacuum drying; j) Reducing the particle size of the mixture to form a sugar beet derived product.

In one embodiment, the sugar beet has been peeled prior to cutting it into pieces.

In one embodiment, the sugar beet has been cut to form pieces with an average size between 3 to 6 cubic centimeters.

In one embodiment, geosmin levels are low or completely absent from the sugar beet derived product.

In one embodiment, the method does not use organic solvents, for example alcohols.

In one embodiment, the viscosity of the sugar beet derived product after reconstitution in water is at least 10 mPas when measured at a shear rate of 10 1/s at 20 °C.

In one embodiment, the sugar beet derived product is sugar beet powder.

In one embodiment, the method of making the sugar beet derived product is substantially as shown in Figure 1 or in Figure 2.

In some embodiments, the sugar beet can be substituted by sugar cane.

The invention further relates to a sugar beet derived product, wherein said powder product has a. a water activity of less than 0.3; and/or b. a geosmin content of less than 0.05 mg/g, preferably about 0.01 mg/g.

The invention further relates to a food or beverage product comprising the sugar beet powder product according to the invention. The food product could be, for example, cereal bars, confectionery products, porridge, sauces, for example ketchup, baked products, for example bread, biscuits, and the like.

The food product could be a dairy or plant-based beverage or food product.

The beverage product could be, for example, cocoa drinks, RTD products, and the like.

Detailed description of the embodiments

Sugar beet pieces

Typically, the sugar beet product is made from sugar beets which have been harvested within the previous 2 months. No negative effects were seen on flavor when using sugar beet up to this age. If peeled and cut, the sugar beet derived product should preferably be made in a minimal time frame to prevent compromising the color of the ingredient. After cutting, pieces should preferably not be exposed to oxygen for longer than a few minutes. Typically, the sugar beet is cut between 1 to 2 weeks after harvest. The sugar beet pieces have typically an average size of between 3 to 6 cm³.

Fraction separation

Phase separation of the sugar beet into solid and liquid fractions can be done, for example by hydraulic pressing or shredding and centrifugation extraction.

Pressing can be done, for example, by cold press extraction. The liquid fraction comprises greater than 50% liquid, preferably greater than 75% liquid. The solid fraction comprises greater than 50% solids, preferably greater than 60% solids. The liquid fraction typically comprises a greater amount of sugars. The solid fraction typically comprises a greater number of insoluble fibers compared to the liquid fraction.

An enzyme inactivation step, for example an oxidase inactivation step, can be performed. Enzyme inactivation can be performed, for example, by (i) applying steam treatment or other heat treatment to the sugar beet prior to fraction separation; or (ii) by acidification or pH reduction of the liquid fraction; or (iii) applying increased atmospheric pressure to the liquid fraction.

The liquid fraction can be further concentrated. This re-crystallizes the sucrose contained therein prior to reconstitution to increase the stability of the product. The liquid fraction can then be recombined with the solid fraction and dried, for example by vacuum or convective drying. Alternatively, the solid fraction can be dried without being recombined with the liquid fraction. This results in a less sweet solution suitable for as a filler in confectionery, cereal bars and similar applications.

Sugar beet derived product characteristics The sugar beet derived product of the invention may have between 1 to 4% protein, between 1 to 4% ash, between 70 to 85% total sugars, and between 10 to 20% dietary fiber, wherein the dietary fiber fraction is made up of between 24 to 34% soluble fiber and between 66 to 76% insoluble fiber.

The sugar beet derived product of the invention may have about 2.3% protein, about 2% ash, about 79% total sugars, and about 15.6% dietary fiber (made up of about 6.6% soluble and about 9% insoluble).

The sugar beet derived product may have one or more of the following characteristics: (i) a T_g of between 20 to 30 °C, or about 25 °C; (ii) a_w of between 0.1 to 0.3, or about 0.2; (iii) D50 of between 200 - 300 mm, or between 250 - 300 pm; (iv) D90 of between 800 - 1000 pm; (v) a bulk density of between 0.30 to 0.40 g/cm³, or about 0.35 g/cm³.

Typically, 90 % of the sugar beet derived product reconstitutes in about 36 ± 7 s at 20 °C.

The sugar beet derived product is preferably sugar beet powder.

Typically, the sugar beet derived product or intermediate products formed during its production have characteristics substantially as shown in the Examples section.

Typically, when the sugar beet derived product is a sugar beet powder or sugar beet powder in an aqueous solution at 5 wt%, then the product has the characteristics substantially as shown in table 3.

Definitions

"Fresh sugar beet" or "raw sugar beet" or "sugar beet pieces" means that the sugar beet has been peeled or cut less than 2 weeks after harvest, for example between 1 to 2 weeks after harvest. Sugar beet up to 3 months post-harvest can be used without significant effect on flavor.

"Acidic medium" means a liquid which has a pH less than 7 and comprises an acid, for example hydrochloric acid. Other acids that might be used in an acidic medium include citric acid, phosphoric acid or acetic acid.

As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" include plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The words "comprise," "comprises" and "comprising" are to be interpreted inclusively rather than exclusively. Likewise, the terms "include," "including" and "or" should all be construed to be inclusive, unless such a construction is clearly prohibited from the context.

The compositions disclosed herein may lack any element that is not specifically disclosed. Thus, a disclosure of an embodiment using the term "comprising" includes a disclosure of embodiments "consisting essentially of and "consisting of the components identified. Similarly, the methods disclosed herein may lack any step that is not specifically disclosed herein. Thus, a disclosure of an embodiment using the term "comprising" includes a disclosure of embodiments "consisting essentially of" and "consisting of" the steps identified.

The term "and/or" used in the context of "X and/or Y" should be interpreted as "X," or "Y," or "X and Y." Where used herein, the terms "example" and "such as," particularly when followed by a listing of terms, are merely exemplary and illustrative and should not be deemed to be exclusive or comprehensive. Any embodiment disclosed herein can be combined with any other embodiment disclosed herein unless explicitly stated otherwise.

As used herein, "about" and "approximately" and "substantially" are understood to refer to numbers in a range of numerals, for example the range of -20% to +20% of the referenced number, for further example the range of -10% to +10% of the referenced number, preferably within -5% to +5% of the referenced number, more preferably within -1% to +1% of the referenced number, most preferably within -0.1 % to +0.1 % of the referenced number.

The invention will now be illustrated by way of examples, which should in no way be thought to limit the scope of the invention as herein described.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

Method of making a sugar beet derived product

Sugar beet was first washed with cold water to remove remaining sand from the raw material. A knife and a peeler were then used to remove the outer layer or the skin of the sugar beet. This was found to contribute to the removal of "earthy" notes characteristic of these roots which are present mainly in the peel.

Solid and liquid fraction separation was conducted by means of a screw juicer. Solid fraction was immediately placed in a convective oven while the liquid fraction was combined with an acid to reduce the pH to a value below 5. Subsequently, the liquid fraction was heated to a temperature of at least 70 °C for 15 minutes to inactivate the enzymes responsible for browning. Once this temperature and time has been reached, the pH of the mixture is increased to a value of at least 5. It was found that this step is crucial for crystallization to avoid the inversion of sucrose into fructose and glucose. Liquid evaporation was conducted to induce sugar crystallization. Once sugar supersaturation has been reached, crystallization is induced by seeding. After crystallization, solid and liquid streams are recombined and dried if necessary to reach a a_w of at least 0.08. The dried mixture was ground using a rotor, for example a fine granulator from Alexander Werk, and further milled to reduce the particle size. Fractionation of sugar beets into solid fiber rich and liquid sucrose rich has been found to be the best alternative for sucrose crystallization. Trials were also conducted where evaporation was performed without removing the fibrous fraction to induce crystallization. This process has been found unsuccessful due to the high-water holding capacity of the fibers which prevented supersaturation of the sucrose in the sample.

Example 2

Preferred method of making sugar beet derived product

Sugar beets harvested within the previous 3 months were washed and cut into pieces between 3 to 6 cm³ and the pieces are washed again to make sure there was no remaining sand or skin. Sugar beet pieces were thermally treated by means of a steam oven for 15-30 minutes at a temperature ranging from 60-80°C. Subsequently, sugar beet pieces were removed from the oven and subjected to press extraction to separate the sugar rich liquid fraction from the fiber rich solid fraction.

Immediately after press extraction, liquid and solid fractions obtained after cold press extraction have to be treated separately to obtain a dry material in the form of powder. The liquid fraction is enriched in sugars that are crystallized by means of water evaporation. The solid fraction is mainly composed of insoluble fibers. Both fraction streams are then combined together, for example in the same proportion as they were present in the raw ingredient i.e. 30% fibers and 70% sugars (dry basis), or in different ratios. Then, the combined mixture of the crystallized fraction and the solid fraction was dried, for example by means of vacuum or convective systems. The dried mixture was ground using a rotor, for example a fine granulator from Alexander Werk, and further milled to reduce the particle size.

Example 3

Degree of crystallinity of sugar beet derived product

Table 1

Amorphous Crystallized

Sucrose sugar beet sugar beet powder powder

AHm in J - g ¹ 140.7 ± 0 5.8 ± 0.2 84 ± 1.8

Crystallinity 100 ± 0 % 4 ± 0 % 60 ± 1 %

Degree (CD) in % The crystallinity degree (CD) obtained by the method described below shows a 60% of crystallinity for the crystallized sugar beet powder, which represents 88% out of the total amount of sucrose present in the sample.

Example 4 Properties of sugar beet powder

The properties of the sugar beet powder product of the invention were measured and summarized in the table below.

Table 2

Crystallized sugar Amorphous sugar Raw beet powder beet powder sugar beet*

T_g 25 °C 36 °C 21.3 a_w 0.2 0.11 0.24

M% 0.6 % 4% 4.6 %

Particle size d(50) = 200 - 300 pm d(50) = 200 - 300 pm distribution d(90) = 800 - 1000 pm d(90) = 700 - 900 pm

Bulk density 0.35 to 0.4 g/cm³ 0.35 to 0.4 g/cm³ * Raw sugar beet powder was obtained by freeze drying pieces of wholesome sugar beet without any previous treatment

The heat impact on crystallized sugar beet powder stability was evaluated and compared to amorphous sugar beet powder obtained by the same process but avoiding the crystallization of sucrose during the evaporation. The produced crystallized sugar beet powder is stable after being stored at 40 °C above the T_g for 3 hours, while the amorphous sugar beet powder was caked after being stored at 40 °C above the T_g for 1 hour, and it was presenting medium lumps after being stored at 30 °C above the T_g for 2 hours. See figure 4 for more information.

Table 3

Sugar beet Sugar beet in powder aqueous solution at 5 wt.%

L* 60.33 45.11 a* 10.26 30.74 b* 22.06 40.21 Whiteness 53.46 25.3 Degree (WD)

The sugar beet powder has a distinctive appearance. Typically, the sugar beet powder has one or more of the following characteristics: (i) a L* of about 60, (ii) an a* value of about 10.2, (iii) a b* value of about 22, and/or (iv) a Whiteness Degree (WD) of greater than 50, or about 53. The L*, a*, b*, and WD can be measured according to methods as described herein.

Example 5

Measurement methods

Glass transition temperature (T_g) was measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TA Instrument Q.2000). A double scan procedure was used to erase the enthalpy of relaxation and get a better view on the glass transition. The scanning rate was set to 5 °C/min. The system was then cooled at 20 °C/min. The glass transition was detected during the second scan and defined as the onset of the step change of the heat capacity. The uncertainty of the measure was typically ± 3 °C.

Water activity (a_w) was measured by AquaLab 4TE Decagon (Decagon Devices Inc., US) following the ISO-18787 method. The measurement is based on the detection of dew on the mirror when the sample has the same RH and temperature as the headspace of the measurement chamber. The measurement is recorded every 5 minutes. The water activity is the average of the last 15 minutes when the differences between water activities are below 0.001. The water activity accuracy from duplicates is ± 0.007. Measurements were performed at 25.0 °C (± 0.1 °C).

Moisture content (M%) was determined using thermo-gravimetry analysis by using TG-DTA (Mettler Toledo GmbH, Switzerland AG) or by Q.600 (TA Instruments, US), using the method described in Food Chemistry 2010, 122: 436-442. It recorded the mass loss of any homogeneous material upon constant heating rate and under controlled dry gas flow conditions. Each sample of 25 mg (± 5 mg) was submitted to a heating rate of 2 °C/min from 25 °C to 180 °C under dry nitrogen flow (100 mL / min). STARe ver. 11 software from Mettler-Toledo or TA Universal is used to analyze the TGA data for moisture content determination. The moisture content in g/100 g was the average of duplicates, with an uncertainty of 5%.

Dry particle size distribution was measured by Camsizer XT (Retsch Technology GmbH, Germany) by using dynamic image analysis of the dispersed powder. Powder was dispersed in a dry dispersion unit with an atomizing pressure of 120 kPa. Characteristic particle size D10, D50 and D90 are calculated from normalized curves, corresponding to the particle size of 10%, 50% and 90% of the particles number respectively. The values reported are D50 and D90. The uncertainty is of 10 pm for the D90 in the range of particle size of the powders.

Reconstitution is the time that a sample requires to get dissolved in an aqueous solution under agitation. 10 g of powder or flakes were first poured onto a 200 g water solution under constant stirring using a magnetic stirrer (500 rpm) and an overhead stirrer installed right below the water surface at 100 rpm at a controlled temperature (22 °C). The conductivity of the solution over time was measured by a conductivity probe (Conductometer Metrohm module 856) installed in the double jacket vessel. The conductivity at 10%, 50% and 90% was calculated by the initial conductivity compared to the final conductivity. The acquisition time was 10 minutes with acquisition period of 0.1 s. The amount of powder dissolved in the liquid phase was determined indirectly.

Wettability is defined by the time the powder needed to sink in an aqueous solution without any agitation. The test was performed by placing 10 g of the sample on a plate support placed on top of a beaker that contains 200 g of water. The experiment started when the powder was poured onto the solution with the help of a lever. Measurements were conducted at room temperature.

Bulk and tapped density were measured with the Granupack (GranuTool Belgium) by recording the packing kinetics. A known amount of powder was inserted in a tube of fix diameter to remove sample handling variability. The tube was then tapped with a height of 1 mm and 500 taps and the volume of powder was recorded after each tap until the end of the experiment. The bulk density was calculated by using the initial volume of powder, whereas the tapped density was calculated by using the final value.

Viscosity was measured using a Physica MCR 502 (Anton Paar) with a conic cylinder geometry, cup diameter of 28.9 mm. The probe used was a concentric cylinder with diameter of 26.6 mm and height of 40 mm). A shear rate of 10 1/s was applied over a time frame of 10 minutes at room temperature. To account for possible thixotropic effects, duplicate measurements were performed with a time difference of minimum 1.5 hours.

The crystallographic structure of the material was determined by X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD) in the MiniFlex 600 Rigaku version 3.2.2.0. XRD works by irradiating a material with incident X-rays and then measuring the intensities and scattering angles of the X-rays that leave the material. The sample placed in a sample prove was introduced inside the equipment and a ramp temperature was applied at 2.5 °C/min from 3 to 30 °C. The voltage was 40 kV and the current was 15 mA.

The color of the dry powder when dissolved in water at a total solid content of 5% was measured using DigiEye "DigiPix" system. Samples were placed in a closed, light controlled, environment and are photographed by a calibrated camera. Photos are treated by DigiEye V. 2.61 software and colorimetric data, L*, a*, b* are extracted. Where L* is the CIELAB lightness value, a* the CIELAB Red+/Green- value and b* the CIELAB Yellow+/Blue- value. The whiteness degree (WD) was calculated according to SOP-0261.01 using following equation:

WD = 100

The heat impact on powder stability was visually evaluated by introducing the sugar beet powder in vials and increasing the temperature in a convective oven 10, 20 and 30 °C above T_g for 1, 2 and 3 hours. Results were described by "no visual effect on powder stability", "formation of small lumps", "caked" or "collapsed".

Sugar concentration can be measured by high Performance Anion Exchange Chromatography (HPAEC). Extraction of sugars in water using sonication and injection on the HPAEC-PAD system. Neutral sugars being weak acids are partially ionized at high pH and can be separated by anion exchange chromatography on a base stable polymeric column. Sugars are detected by measuring the electrical current generated by their oxidation at the surface of a gold electrode and quantified by comparison with an external standard. Protein content can be measured according to standard AOAC procedure. Dietary fiber, in the form of total, soluble and insoluble dietary fiber can be measured according to standard AOAC procedure. Ash content can be measured according to the standard AACC procedure on Ash Basic Method.

Geosmin content was analyzed by GC-MS, in an Agilent 8890 GC coupled to an 7010B GC-TQ. . The column used was a DB-WAX (60 m x 250 pm x 0.25 pm). The injector temperature was 230 °C, and the splitless mode was used. The conditions were as follows: starting temperature 35°C (holding 10 min), then raised to 250 °C at the rates of 4 °C/min. SPME was done using PDMS/DVB 1 cm, 65 um (Supelco ref :57345-U) with incubation time of 10 min and a temperature of 30 °C. The desorption and extraction time was 10 min each. MSD analysis was done using the following parameters: 250 °C, 10 Psi, Helium as the quench gas 2.25 mL/min and Nitrogen as collision gas 1.5 mL/min. The mass selective detector with quadrupole analyzer was operated in the electron ionization (El) mode. The temperature of ion source and quadrupole was 230 °C. The ions (m/z) selected for the monitoring of geosmin were 97 (quantifier) and 83 (qualifier).

The crystallinity degree (CD) was measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TA Instrument Q.2000). The first scan rate was set to 2 °C/min until Tg + 30 °C, which was retained for 10 min, to further dry the sample, in order to avoid any recrystallization phenomena during the second scan. The system was then cooled down to 0°C, which was retained for 3 min. A second scan rate was set to 30 °C/min until 250°C. The crystal melting enthalpy was determined from the integral of the melting peak. Each measurement was performed in duplicate, and the average melting enthalpy (AH_m) of the sample was determined. The same procedure was followed for pure sucrose. The crystallinity degree was obtained by expressing the average melting enthalpy of the sample as a fraction of the average melting enthalpy of pure sucrose as follows:

AH_m sample

CD (%) = ■ 100

AH_m - sucr ~ose

The produced data was compared to the values obtained by XRD, having a discrepancy of ± 5%.

Claims

1. A method of making a sugar beet derived product, said method comprising the steps of a) Providing cut sugar beet pieces; b) Inactivating the enzymes present in the sugar beet pieces by thermal treatment, preferably by steam treatment; c) Obtaining a solid fraction and a liquid fraction from the sugar beet pieces using a pressing means and optionally further comprising centrifugation; d) Crystallizing sucrose comprised within the liquid fraction, for example by evaporation, at atmospheric pressure or under vacuum; e) Thermally treating the solid fraction to reduce geosmin content, preferably by steam treatment; f) Mixing the solid and liquid fractions; g) Drying the mixture, preferably to a moisture content of less than 3.5 wt%, preferably by convection heating or by vacuum drying; h) Reducing the particle size of the mixture to form a sugar beet derived product.

2. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the thermal treatment in step b) comprises heating to a temperature between 40 to 100°C for at least 1 minute.

3. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the liquid fraction is treated by (i) adjusting the pH of the liquid fraction to a pH value less than 5; or (ii) applying thermal treatment to the liquid fraction, wherein the thermal treatment ranges between 70 to 90°C; or (iii) applying increased atmospheric pressure treatment to the liquid fraction.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the liquid fraction is treated by (i) adjusting the pH of the liquid fraction to a pH value less than pH 5; and (ii) applying thermal treatment to the liquid fraction ranging between 70-90°C.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the liquid fraction is treated by (iv) increasing the pH of the liquid fraction to a value of at least 5.

6. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the method does not use organic solvents.

7. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the particle size is reduced in step h) so that the D50 particle size is between 200 to 300 microns, and so that the D90 particle size is between 800 microns to 1 mm.

8. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the drying step is convection heating or vacuum drying.

9. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the particle size of the mixture is reduced in step h) by grinding, and optionally by milling.

10. A sugar beet derived product, wherein said product has between 1 to 4% protein, between 1 to 4% ash, between 70 to 85% total sugars, and between 10 to 20% dietary fiber, wherein the dietary fiber fraction is made up of between 24 to 34% soluble fiber and between 66 to 76% insoluble fiber.

11. A sugar beet derived product, wherein said product has a geosmin content less than 0.05mg/g, preferably about 0.01 mg/g.

12. A food or beverage product comprising the sugar beet derived product according to claim 10 or