witloof chicory
ingredient / ingredient-witloof-chicory
ウィットルーフチコリ / Cichorium intybus L. var. foliosum
White, head-forming chicory produced by blanching away from light. Also called Belgian endive.
On this page (10 sections)
Reading the bitterness
Witloof chicory is a white, head-forming chicory grown by forcing its roots in darkness to blanch the shoots; it is also called Belgian endive. Lactucopicrin has been reported as the main sesquiterpene lactone in freshly processed, fresh-cut witloof chicory. This finding has only been checked at the abstract level, however, and no absolute concentration was obtained from that report.
The predominant sesquiterpene lactone changes as storage proceeds. One report found 11(S)13-dihydrolactucin predominated at the end of storage, although this too has only been checked in the abstract and provides no absolute concentration. Another study found that exposure to light (4500 lux for 11 days) during storage at 8°C markedly increased sesquiterpene lactone concentrations in central-axis tissue relative to dark storage, while the increase in leaf tissue was smaller. That study comprised chemical analysis and pigment and respiration measurements only; it did not conduct sensory evaluation of bitterness, and the link to perceived bitterness remains unconfirmed.
The sesquiterpene lactone content of the edible head (chicon) was reported to remain almost constant, with no significant difference between 1 and 12 months of root storage (cv. Sweet Lady; at 12 months, lactucin 38.2±5.8, dihydrolactucin 18.2±10.4, and lactucopicrin 7.7±1.2 μg/g dry weight). Cultivar differences were also reported: lactucin in heads of cv. Flexine (82.3±17.9 μg/g dry weight) was about 2 times that in cv. Sweet Lady (38.2±5.8), whereas lactucopicrin values were similar in the two cultivars. This study did not include a sensory bitterness test.
Sources also address naming and definition. UNECE standard FFV-38 defines witloof chicory and red chicory as forced sprouts obtained from roots of cultivars of the Cichorium intybus Foliosum Group, and excludes chicory for industrial processing and radicchio types from its scope. In French-speaking regions, simply saying "endive" normally refers to witloof chicory (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum), a different species from English-language endive (Cichorium endivia).
Sources for this overview
Checked for this overview: Used to support the statement that lactucopicrin is the main constituent immediately after processing. / Used to support the statement that dihydrolactucin predominates at the end of storage.
Checked for this overview: Used to support the data showing an increase in sesquiterpene lactones on exposure to light.
Checked for this overview: Used to support the numerical finding that sesquiterpene lactone content of the head remains constant across storage durations. / Used to support the numerical comparison of lactucin content between cultivars.
Checked for this overview: Used to support the UNECE standard's definition and its exclusions from scope.
Checked for this overview: Used to support the example in which French endive means witloof.
Other names: endive (fr), chicon (fr), Belgian endive (en)
Follow the connections
witloof chicory →contains→ lactucopicrin →contributes to→ bitterness
11(S) 13-dihydrolactucin →occurs in→ witloof chicory
witloof chicory →is processed by→ witloof chicory forcing
Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits
Composition and content (5)
Scope: Fresh-cut witloof chicory
Note: Reported as the major sesquiterpene lactone immediately after processing.
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ingredient-witloof-chicory —contains→ compound-lactucopicrinScope: Fresh-cut samples stored for up to 10 days after washing.
Note: Described as predominant at the end of storage, but the abstract does not give an absolute concentration.
Show data
compound-11-13-dihydrolactucin —occurs_in→ ingredient-witloof-chicoryScope: A storage-condition comparison trial on 2 cultivars of witloof chicory
Note: This study consists only of chemical analysis (HPLC-DAD-MSn) and measurements of pigments and O2/CO2; it did not carry out a sensory evaluation of bitterness. The paper's opening states that "greening is generally associated, as a major quality defect, with increased bitterness," but this is background description, not a result of this study itself measuring the perception of bitterness.
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ingredient-witloof-chicory —has_composition→ "Under light exposure during storage (at 8°C, dark vs. 4500 lux illumination, for 11 days, packed in consumer polyamide bags), the sesquiterpene lactone concentration in the central-axis tissue of 2 cultivars rose clearly in the illuminated group. The rise in leaf tissue was smaller than in the central axis. Photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll derivatives and beta-carotene) also rose clearly in the leaves under illumination, and respiration was likewise elevated in the illuminated group."Scope: Head (edible-part) tissue, cv. Sweet Lady
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ingredient-witloof-chicory —has_composition→ "The sesquiterpene lactone content of the edible part (head/chicon) was reported to be nearly constant, with no significant difference between 1 month and 12 months of root storage (cv. Sweet Lady; at 12 months, lactucin 38.2+/-5.8, dihydrolactucin 18.2+/-10.4, lactucopicrin 7.7+/-1.2 ug/g DW)"Scope: Comparison between cultivars in head tissue at 12 months of storage.
Note: Composition data without a sensory bitterness test.
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ingredient-witloof-chicory —has_composition→ "At 12 months of storage, lactucin content in heads of cv. Flexine (82.3±17.9 μg/g DW) was reported to be about 2 times that of cv. Sweet Lady (38.2±5.8); lactucopicrin values were similar in the two cultivars."How processing and cooking change it (1)
Scope: The forcing process after cold storage of roots.
Note: Based on van Arkel et al. (2022): roughly 3 weeks in a multilevel hydroponic system in darkness at 15–16°C.
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ingredient-witloof-chicory —is_processed_by→ process-witloof-forcingSafety and regulation (1)
Scope: Scope of UNECE FFV-38, an international fresh-produce trade standard.
Note: Witloof and radicchio (「ラディッキオ」; in translation: "radicchio") both derive from Cichorium intybus, but this international standard clearly distinguishes forced products that have undergone the forcing process (witloof/red chicory) from radicchio types. This primary source supports the distinction between NIGAMI LAB's existing radicchio entries (ingredient-radicchio-*) and ingredient-witloof-chicory.
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ingredient-witloof-chicory —is_defined_in_regulation_as→ "Witloof chicory and red chicory are forced chicory sprouts from the roots of cultivars derived from the Cichorium intybus Foliosum Group. Chicory for industrial processing and radicchio types are excluded from this standard."Culture (2)
Scope: The terminology explanation on the French agriculture ministry's official website and the taxonomic description in a French doctoral thesis (Université de Lille, 2023).
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ingredient-witloof-chicory —is_defined_as→ "In French, simply saying 『endive』 usually refers to the product obtained by forcing roots of Cichorium intybus var. foliosum in darkness (also called 『chicon』 in northern France and Belgium). It is a different species from English-language endive (Cichorium endivia)."Scope: The account in the Japanese Wikipedia article 「エンダイブ」 (in translation: "Endive").
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ingredient-endive —is_often_conflated_in_records_with→ ingredient-witloof-chicory