# US 2018/0020711 A1 · Method for the cultivation of pluriennial plants belonging to the cardueae tribe and for the integrated recovery of inulin, seeds and biomass from the said plants > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0020711 A1 - Document ID: US20180020711A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/547,943 - Filed: 2016-02-05 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-05 - Assignees: Novamont S.p.A. - Applicants: Novamont S.p.A. - Inventors: Catia BASTIOLI; Luigi CAPUZZI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180020711A1 ## CPC - A23L 29/244: from corms, tubers or roots, e.g. glucomannan (starch A23L29/212) - A23L 27/33: {containing sugars or derivatives} - A23L 29/206: of vegetable origin - A23L 33/21: Addition of substantially indigestible substances, e.g. dietary fibres - C08B 37/0054: {Inulin, i.e. beta-2,1-D-fructofuranan; Derivatives thereof} - A23V 2002/00: Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs - A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B) - C08B: POLYSACCHARIDES; DERIVATIVES THEREOF (polysaccharides containing less than six saccharide radicals attached to each other by glycosidic linkages C07H; fermentation or enzyme-using processes C12P19/00; sugar industry C13; production of cellulose D21) - A23V: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION ## Abstract This invention relates to a method for cultivating pluriennial plants belonging to the Cardueae tribe and for the integrated recovery of inulin, seeds and biomass from the said plants. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for cultivating polyannual plants belonging to the Cardueae tribe, which comprises the steps of: a) sowing the seeds of said plants with a crop density of at least 4 plants per square meter of soil; b) optionally adjusting the content of N in the soil on which said seeds were planted at a content of N of less than 50 Kg/(ha*year); c) collecting at least a portion of the underground part and at least a portion of the aerial part of the plants raised from the sowing of step a) starting from the third year of cultivation, between the phenological stage of flowering and the phenological stage of senescence of such plants. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, comprising, after step a) and before step b) or after step b) and before step c), the step of collecting in the first year of cultivation at least a portion of the aerial part of the plants raised from the sowing of step a), between the phenological stage of flower induction and the phenological stage of senescence of such plants. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, comprising, after step a) and before step b) or after step b) and before step c), the step of collecting in the second year of cultivation at least a portion of the aerial part of the plants raised from the sowing of step a), between the phenological stage of flowering and the phenological stage of senescence of such plants. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, comprising the step of separating the seeds from the biomass of said aerial part. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, comprising the step of extracting the oil from said seeds. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) Inulin, seeds and biomass obtained from collected portions of polyannual plants belonging to the Cardueae tribe obtainable by means of the method according to claim 1. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A method for obtaining inulin, seeds and biomass from collected portions of polyannual plants belonging to the Cardueae tribe obtainable by means of the method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: d) recovering inulin from the underground part of said plants collected in the step c); e) separating the seeds and the biomass from the aerial part of said plants collected in the step c). ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of: f) obtaining the oil and the protein meal from said seeds obtained in step e). ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, in which said step d) comprising the steps of: d-1) comminuting the roots contained in the underground part of the plants collected in step c) to obtain cossettes having maximum thickness of 1 cm; d-2) leaching inulin from said cossettes with an aqueous solution; d-3) separating from step d-2) an aqueous phase, containing inulin, and a solid phase, containing exhausted cossettes; d-4) purifying said aqueous phase containing inulin. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method Methd according to claim 9, in which said step d-2) is performed by means of at least one cavitation treatment. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, comprising, after step a) and before step b) or after step b) and before step c), the step of collecting in the second year of cultivation at least a portion of the aerial part of the plants raised from the sowing of step a), between the phenological stage of flowering and the phenological stage of senescence of such plants. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, comprising the step of separating the seeds from the biomass of said aerial part. ### Claim 13 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, comprising the step of separating the seeds from the biomass of said aerial part. ### Claim 14 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, comprising the step of separating the seeds from the biomass of said aerial part. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, comprising the step of extracting the oil from said seeds. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, comprising the step of extracting the oil from said seeds. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, comprising the step of extracting the oil from said seeds. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, comprising the step of extracting the oil from said seeds. ### Claim 19 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, in which said step d) comprising the steps of: d-1) comminuting the roots contained in the underground part of the plants collected in step c) to obtain cossettes having maximum thickness of 1 cm; d-2) leaching inulin from said cossettes with an aqueous solution; d-3) separating from step d-2) an aqueous phase, containing inulin, and a solid phase, containing exhausted cossettes; d-4) purifying said aqueous phase containing inulin. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19, in which said step d-2) is performed by means of at least one cavitation treatment.