CHIC: Chicory as a multipurpose crop for dietary fibre and medicinal terpenes

CHIC is a research and innovation project supported through the EU Horizon 2020 funding programme and started in January 2018. Root chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is an under-utilized crop. It is currently used for the commercial production of inulin, which is added to many food products as a dietary fibre and sweetener. The CHIC project aims to develop chicory varieties that can be used to produce dietary fibre with enhanced prebiotic effects to promote gut health. At the same time, given its biosynthetic capacity, high yields and low agronomic requirements, chicory has significant potential as a versatile production host in molecular farming for the production of many additional health-related products with benefits for consumers. CHIC also aims to harness this potential to cultivate chicory for the extraction of other types of health-related compounds (terpenes) as potential lead molecules for drug development. The CHIC consortium consists of 17 participants from 11 European countries and one international participant. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 760891. Further information: http://chicproject.eu/