Herbal Extraction Plants

Chicory Root Inulin Extract

Extraction Technologies

Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE)Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE)

Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey extraction plants that process chicory roots to recover inulin. We supply the machinery for the route selected after screening — raw-material preparation, extraction, separation, concentration or recovery, and drying or collection — configured to the target specification. Mechotech's technology screening identifies 2 candidate routes for chicory roots and inulin: 1 relevant and 1 exploratory screening fits, with Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE) best-ranked (rank 51 of 100).

For chicory roots with inulin as the target, there are 2 candidate technologies: Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE) and Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE). By route — Subcritical Water (SWE): relevant screening, rank 51 of 100, pressurized water; Enzyme-Assisted (EAE): exploratory screening, rank 88 of 100, water, enzyme and pH control. For the best-ranked route, Subcritical Water (SWE), the screening flags: pressure-rated hot water; check thermal degradation, hydrolysis and downstream drying. These are screening candidates rather than guarantees: the final technology, operating parameters and plant configuration are established during process development and pilot validation. Product-contact parts are built in SS 316L with CIP-cleanable design, and automation is configured to the project.

Technical Specifications

Product	Chicory Root Inulin Extract Plant
Feedstock	Chicory roots
Part / Feed Form	Roots
Target Extract	Inulin
Extraction Method	SWE, EAE
Technology Count	2
Product-contact Material	SS 316L, electropolished, CIP-cleanable
Automation	PLC-SCADA, configured to requirement

Plant Capacities

Plant Scale	Root Throughput	Typical Use
Pilot	Configured to your feedstock and trial plan	Product development, parameter validation
Semi-Commercial	Configured to raw-material supply and buyer volume	Contract manufacturing, scale-up trials
Commercial	Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume	Commercial production at confirmed buyer volume

Capacity is configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume; we recommend a pilot plant to validate process parameters before scaling. No fixed throughput is quoted for this product.

Manufacturing Process

Each extraction method follows a different process — pick a method to see its steps.

Raw-Material Preparation

Chicory roots are cleaned and size-reduced so inulin can be reached by the extraction medium; particle size and moisture are set during process development.

Vessel Loading & Pressurisation

Prepared chicory roots and water are loaded into a pressure-rated extraction vessel.

Subcritical Water Extraction

Water held liquid under pressure at elevated temperature extracts inulin without an organic solvent; temperature and residence time are set to limit thermal degradation and hydrolysis.

Separation

Spent solids are separated by filtration or centrifugation and the extract is clarified before concentration.

Concentration

The clarified aqueous extract is concentrated under vacuum or by membrane systems where required; no organic solvent is used in this route.

Recovery, Standardisation & Drying

The inulin fraction is recovered from the concentrate by a route selected during process development and checked against the target specification; drying behaviour is verified because polysaccharide-type targets can be heat-sensitive.

Major Plant Equipment

Raw-material cleaning and size-reduction system
Pressure-rated hot-water extraction vessel
High-pressure water pump and heat exchangers
Jacketed enzyme reaction vessel with pH and temperature control
Enzyme dosing and inactivation system
Filtration / centrifugation system
Vacuum evaporator
Membrane concentration unit (where required)
Dryer (where a dried form is specified)
CIP (clean-in-place) system
Storage and finished-product tanks
PLC-SCADA control panel and instrumentation

Plant Output

Inulin extract

Applications

Pharmaceutical standardised ingredient supply — Chicory Root Inulin Extract
Nutraceutical capsule, tablet, and supplement manufacturing — Chicory Root Inulin Extract
Food and beverage applications — Chicory Root Inulin Extract
Export to regulated-market ingredient buyers — Chicory Root Inulin Extract

Key Features

Subcritical Water (SWE) — Relevant Screening Fit
Best-ranked route for chicory roots: rank 51 of 100 in Mechotech's subcritical water extraction screening, using pressurized water. Ranks are directional screening priorities, not measured yield, ROI or plant guarantees.
Chicory roots — 2 Candidate Routes
Routes screened for chicory roots: Subcritical Water (SWE) — relevant, rank 51; Enzyme-Assisted (EAE) — exploratory, rank 88. Each route has its own process tab above.
Roots Feed Form
The candidate routes are defined for chicory roots; feedstock assay and moisture are measured as pilot inputs and the feed form is set during process development.
Parameters Fixed After Pilot Trials
Recovery of inulin, selectivity, solvent or water duty, quality and cleaning are measured in pilot trials, starting with small-scale feed trials, before final plant parameters are fixed.
SS 316L Hygienic Construction
Product-contact surfaces are SS 316L and CIP-cleanable, in a hygienic design suited to food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical supply chains; PLC-SCADA automation with recipe control can be configured to the project scope.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a chicory root extraction plant for inulin?

It is a turnkey Mechotech plant that processes chicory roots to recover inulin. The plant covers raw-material preparation, extraction, separation, concentration or fraction collection, and drying or packing, and is configured to the target specification. It sits within Mechotech's wider range of herbal extraction plants.

Which plant part or feed form does the chicory root plant process?

The candidate feedstock is chicory roots. The target extract is inulin.

Which extraction technologies are suitable for chicory roots?

This feedstock has 2 candidate technologies: Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE) (relevant screening) and Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE) (exploratory screening). See the related pages on subcritical water extraction and enzyme-assisted extraction. These are screening candidates, not guarantees of yield, purity or recovery; the route is confirmed through process development and pilot validation. In Mechotech's technology screening these candidates are ranked directionally — relevant: Subcritical Water Extraction (rank 51 of 100); exploratory: Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (rank 88 of 100). Ranks are directional screening priorities at method-family level, not measured yield, ROI or plant guarantees.

How does Mechotech's screening rank the candidate routes for chicory roots?

Each technology list in Mechotech's screening ranks 100 feedstock–target opportunities (1 = highest priority). For chicory roots: Subcritical Water (SWE) rank 51 (relevant); Enzyme-Assisted (EAE) rank 88 (exploratory). The best-ranked route is Subcritical Water (SWE). Ranks are directional screening priorities, not measured yield, ROI or plant guarantees, and the evidence is at method-family level, so every route needs pilot validation.

How does the chicory root extraction process work?

Each listed route has its own steps — Subcritical Water (SWE): Vessel Loading & Pressurisation → Subcritical Water Extraction → Separation; Enzyme-Assisted (EAE): Slurry & pH Control → Enzymatic Treatment → Enzyme Inactivation & Separation. All routes share the same outline: prepare chicory roots, extract inulin using the technology-specific step, separate and clarify the extract, concentrate it, and recover, standardise and dry. The process tabs above show every step.

What equipment does the chicory root extraction plant include?

The equipment follows the selected route and includes raw-material cleaning and size-reduction system; pressure-rated hot-water extraction vessel; high-pressure water pump and heat exchangers; jacketed enzyme reaction vessel with pH and temperature control; enzyme dosing and inactivation system; filtration / centrifugation system; vacuum evaporator; membrane concentration unit (where required). The full list is shown under Major Plant Equipment.

What output and specification can the chicory root plant deliver?

The listed output is inulin extract. The plant is configured to a customer-declared specification for inulin. No fixed purity, grade or yield is claimed until pilot results are available.

What application areas are listed for Chicory Root Inulin Extract?

The application areas listed on this page are: pharmaceutical standardised ingredient supply; nutraceutical capsule, tablet, and supplement manufacturing; food and beverage applications; export to regulated-market ingredient buyers.

Which related Mechotech extraction pages cover the same material or target?

Inulin is also listed for dandelion roots, and fructan extraction is covered for agave core and asparagus roots.

What capacity is available and is a pilot trial recommended?

Capacity is configured to requirement. Mechotech's technology screening recommends starting with small-scale feed trials to measure recovery, selectivity, solvent or water duty, quality and cleaning before pilot and commercial plant sizes are fixed.

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Chicory Root Inulin Extract