Inulin dispersions were processed by a Silverson L4RT (Silverson machines, Ltd, UK), a rotor-stator (RS) homogeniser, at 6000 rpm during 5 min. Pre-homogenised samples were then processed with a Micro DeBee (Bee International Inc., USA) device, an air-operated laboratory scale high pressure homogeniser (HPH), able to reach pressures up to 300 MPa.
This equipment is an orifice-type valve homogeniser (0.10 mm internal diameter valve) characterised for its modular post-valve homogenising cell (HC) or interaction chamber. Two HC configurations were tested (see Fig. 1). In the called Short Configuration Reverse (SCR) the sample outlet was located after the valve without lengthening the HC. The flow outlet occurred after the impact of the sample on the cone-shaped metallic piece used to fill the HC (reverse flow). For the Long Configuration Parallel (LCP) the HC was lengthened by six ceramic rods (also called reactors) of 1 cm length and 1.00 mm of internal diameter. The flow outlet in this configuration was considered to be parallel.