Vegetable based products and uses thereof

A method of manufacturing a fiber rich chicory product by inhibiting production of, inactivating, or removing bitter components produced in a root of a chicory plant, the method comprising the following steps performed in order:

• a) cutting off at least one of the top and tail of the chicory plant thereby obtaining the chicory root;
• b) bathing, dipping or rinsing the chicory root with a solution comprising water, ascorbic acid and optionally at least one further substance of an antioxidant, a textural support agent and an organic acidulant, for 1 to 45 minutes, wherein the solution is at a temperature of 5° C. to 20° C., and wherein the ascorbic acid is present at a concentration of 0.01 to 2% (w/w) to inhibit production of, inactivate, and/or remove the bitter components, and wherein each of the at least one further substance when present is at a concentration of 0.01 to 2% (w/w);
• c) reducing the size of the chicory root by one or more of dicing, shredding and slicing the chicory root;
• d) dipping the size-reduced chicory root in water at a temperature of 0° C. to 20° C. for 1 to 300 seconds, wherein the dipping water includes at least ascorbic acid, and optionally at least one of citric acid, erythorbic acid, lactic acid, gluconic acid, malic acid, potassium ascorbate, potassium citrate, potassium erythorbate, potassium lactate, potassium gluconate, sodium ascorbate, sodium citrate, sodium erythorbate, sodium lactate, sodium gluconate, sodium malate, cyclodextrin, sodium pyrophosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, potassium pyrophosphate, potassium acid pyrophosphate, L-cysteine, L-cysteine-HCL, thiol containing peptides, papaya extract, proteases, sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, EDTA, CaCl2, Ca-lactate, Ca-gluconate, and Ca-lactategluconate, and wherein the ascorbic acid is present at a concentration of 0.01 to 2% (w/w);
• e) removing moisture from the size-reduced chicory root;
• and
• f) further processing the size-reduced chicory root in at least one of the following ways:
• i) drying the size-reduced chicory root at 50° C. to 90° C. followed by grinding and/or milling to produce a fiber rich powder,
• ii) fresh packaging the size-reduced chicory root,
• iii) frying the size-reduced chicory root, or
• iv) collecting bitter components from the size-reduced chicory root;
• and
• wherein w/w is weight relative to total weight of dry solids.