Roasted Chicory Cubes

Roasted Chicory Cubes offered by us are obtained by subjecting high quality dry chicory to a heating process. To obtain a good chicory crop, the soil should be fertile, easily workable and deep. Semi black cotton soil/sandy lom soil is ideal soil type for chicory that is found in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

The field needs to be prepared in a specified manner before sowing so that high quality chicory can be raised. Chicory seeds resemble lettuce seeds and germinate in 2-3 days of time. The chicory plant takes 4-5 months to mature. The roots of chicory are about 30-35 cm long and dirty yellow in color. At JCI, we gather green chicory roots at various chicory collection centers for washing them mechanically. They are then conveyed to the cubic machines that cube it to the required sizes.

The cut chicory cubes are spread on plastic wire mats for sun drying that takes 3 days of time. The cubes tend to lose 3/4th of their weight during the process. The cubes are then transported to the processing units where they are graded under close supervision in order to obtain uniform sizes. Dried chicory cubes are pale grey or light brown in color and have specific moisture content.

Chicory cubes are roasted for caramelizing the sugar content present in the roots and also to do away with the bitter substances. To get uniform roasting of chicory cubes, it is a must that the cubes are graded to uniform sizes. Roasting is performed in a 400 kg capacity iron cylinder toaster that is heated to a temperature of 140 to 160 degree centigrade.

The chicory cubes are then roasted for about 45-60 minutes in the cylinder and turned well. After the heating treatment, they are spread out and left to cool. Later, they are packed and sealed in 300 micron polythene bag. At JCI, we ensure that the whole process is carried out under expert guidance and surveillance.

MOISTURE

5% max.

EXTRACTABILITY

75% min.

REDUCING SUGAR

16% max.

CUBE SIZE

12mm - 20mm (5% variation less than 12mm)