Method for producing a stable fructooligosaccharide composition, fructooligosaccharide composition, and use thereof

A method for producing a stable fructooligosaccharide (FOS) composition, comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a raw material containing sucrose;
• b) forming an aqueous mixture of the raw material with an enzyme, whereby the enzyme at least has fructosyltransferase activity;
• c) exposing the formed aqueous mixture to conditions whereby FOS-forming takes place until the amount of non-FOS carbohydrates in the mixture, such as fructose, glucose and sucrose, constitute at most 50 wt.% of the total amount of carbohydrates in the mixture;
• d) optionally deactivating the enzyme;
• e) chromatographically separating the non-FOS carbohydrates from the aqueous mixture using a resin to yield a FOS-enriched stream containing at least 75 wt.% FOS relative to the total amount of carbohydrates in the aqueous mixture and a stream enriched in non-FOS carbohydrates, and whereby the FOS-enriched stream comprises at least 100 mg/kg °Bx of organic acids and ions;
• and
• f) evaporating the FOS-enriched stream to yield a syrupy FOS composition of at least 65 °Bx,
• wherein at least part or essentially all of the organic acids and ions is formed in situ during any one of the steps c) to f).