Inulin is present in several plants as a reserve polymer and can be used as a carbon source for microbial growth if hydrolyzed into fermentable sugars. By the action of microbial inulinases a fructose rich syrup can be obtained from inulin or inulin-rich materials and further used for bioprocesses, such as bioethanol production or BDS processes, either using a separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF), a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) or a consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) approach.