Production of galacto-oligosaccharides from lactose by Aspergillus oryzae beta-galactosidase immobilized on cotton cloth

Synthesis of galactooligosaccharides with four β-galactosidases: Structural comparison of the products by HPLC, ESI-MS and NMR

Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) are lactose-derived functional ingredients applied in food products and have great potential in health protection. The conversion of lactose to GOS commonly occurs using β-galactosidases of mould, yeast and bacterial origin. The yield and structure of the resulting GOS depend on the enzyme used and the reaction conditions. This work focuses on the structural analysis of the products obtained with four commercial β-galactosidases Maxilact LGI 5000 (ML), Maxilact A4 MG (MA), Saphera 2600 L (SA) and NOLA Fit 5500 (NL) to evaluate their efficiency and specificity. HPLC, ESI-MS and NMR spectroscopy were applied to characterise the GOS preparations. GOS were separated from the reaction mixture using activated charcoal treatment. HPLC analysis confirmed that most of the monosaccharides and a part of the lactose, but also some other disaccharides, probably allolactose and 6-galactobiose, were retained by charcoal. In all the products, ESI-MS analysis detects oligosaccharides up to hexamers. NMR spectra confirmed the presence of GOS of various configurations and polymerisation degrees and evaluated the specificity of used enzymes. MA preferably forms 1,6- and 1,4-glycosidic bonds, and bacterial enzymes NL and SA also form 1,2- and 1,3- glycosidic bonds, while yeast enzyme ML cannot produce new 1,4-glycosidic bonds. The mould enzyme MA showed the highest trans-galactosylation activity, forming longer GOS oligomers than the other enzymes.

Physiologically Aggregated LacZ Applied in Trehalose Galactosylation in a Recycled Batch Mode

Galactooligosaccharides obtained via β-galactosidase transgalactosylation have health-promoting properties and are widely recognized as effective prebiotics. Trehalose-based galactooligosaccharides could be introduced into food and pharmaceutical industries similarly to trehalose. In light of this, new technological approaches are needed. Recently, in vivo enzyme immobilizations for recombinant proteins have been introduced, and physiological aggregation into active inclusion bodies (aIBs) has emerged as one such method of in vivo immobilization. To prepare LacZ β-galactosidase in the form of aIBs, we used a short 10 amino acid aggregation-prone tag. These native protein particles were simply washed from the cell lysate and applied in trehalose galactosylation in a recycled batch mode. In this study, aIBs entrapped in alginate beads, encapsulated in alginate/cellulose sulfate/poly(methylene-co-guanidine) capsules and magnetized were compared with free aIBs. Alginate/cellulose sulfate/PMCG capsules showed more suitable properties and applicability for biotransformation of trehalose at its high concentration (25%, w/v) and elevated temperature (50 °C).

Cyclic Production of Galacto-Oligosaccharides through Ultrafiltration-Assisted Enzyme Recovery

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are prebiotics manufactured enzymatically from lactose as substrate. The growing GOS market facilitates the valorization of dairy by-products which represent cheap and abundant sources of lactose. Large-scale GOS production typically employs soluble enzymes in batch reactors that are commonly associated with low enzyme usability and, therefore, high operational expenditures. In this study, we investigate the possibility of recovering enzymes by ultrafiltration (UF) and reusing them in repeated reaction steps. The proposed process scheme included 24 h batch reaction steps with Biolacta N5, a commercial enzyme preparation of Bacillus circulans origin. The reaction steps were followed by UF steps to separate the carbohydrate products from the enzymes by applying a volume concentration factor of 8.6. Then, the collected biocatalysts were reused for repeated cycles by adding fresh lactose. Enzyme losses were quantified with a direct method by analyzing the underlying relationship between reaction rates and enzyme dosage obtained from additional experiments conducted with known enzyme loads. Within five cycles, the enzyme activity declined gradually from 923 to 8307 U·kg−1, and the half-life was estimated as ca. 15.3 h. The outcomes of this study may serve as a basis for further optimization of the reported process scheme with enhanced enzyme usability.

Optimization of the production conditions of tri-GOS and lactosucrose from lactose and sucrose with recombinant -galactosidase

Few studies expressed the β-galactosidase encoding gene from L. plantarum in E. coli so far. In the present study, the recombinant β-galactosidase from L. plantarum FMNP01 was used as a catalyst in transgalactosylation to form tri-GOS and lactosucrose. In the presence of lactose and sucrose, six transfer products were formed in the transgalactosylation reaction with recombinant β-galactosidase L.pFMNP01Gal as a catalyst. Three transfer products were tri-galacto-oligosaccharides (tri-GOS), lactosucrose, and lactulose; the other three transfer products needed to be identified further. Based on a single factor test and response surface methodological approach, the optimal transgalactosylation conditions of the production of tri-GOS and lactosucrose were determined as initial sugar concentration of 50%, lactose: sucrose ratio of 1:2, enzyme concentration of 3 U/mL, and reaction time of 6 h at 50 °C resulting in a maximum tri-GOS concentration of 47.69 ± 1.36 g/L and a maximum lactosucrose concentration of 8.18 ± 0.97 g/L.

Modeling and Optimization of β-Galactosidase Entrapping in Polydimethylsiloxane-Modified Silica Composites

Protein entrapment has multiple applications in enzymatic hydrolysis, drug delivery, etc. Here, we report the studies that successfully utilized the Box–Behnken design to model and optimize the parameters of β-galactosidase entrapment in sol–gel-derived silica composites. We have also demonstrated the influence of polymer–polydimethylsiloxane as a composite modifying agent on the activity of entrapped enzymes. We have determined how different sol-gel process parameters influence the activity of entrapped enzymes. The highest impact on β-galactosidase activity was exerted by the water:tetramethoxysilane ratio, followed by polydimethylsiloxane content. Optimized synthesis parameters have been utilized to obtain a composite with maximum β-galactosidase activity. Performed porosity studies have shown that the addition of polydimethylsiloxane increased the pore diameter. Microscopy studies demonstrated that polydimethylsiloxane-modified composites are softer and less rough. Studies of β-galactosidase activity using the o-NPG test showed statistically significant shifts in the enzyme temperature and pH profiles compared to the soluble form. An improvement in the reusability of the enzyme and a significant increase in the thermal stability was also observed. When lactose was used, a strong correlation was observed between the substrate concentration and the type of the catalyzed reaction. Moreover, we have demonstrated that the yields and rates of both lactose hydrolysis and galactooligosaccharides formation were correlated with reaction temperature and with the presence of polydimethylsiloxane. All these findings provide the opportunity for industrial use of optimized PDMS-modified silica composites in lactose elimination from dairy products, e.g., milk or whey.

Galacto-Oligosaccharide (GOS) Synthesis during Enzymatic Lactose-Free Milk Production: State of the Art and Emerging Opportunities

Much attention has recently been paid to β-Galactosidases (β-D-galactoside galactohidrolase; EC 3.2.1.23), commonly known as lactases, due to the lactose intolerance of the human population and the importance of dairy products in the human diet. This enzyme, produced by microorganisms, is being used in the dairy industry for hydrolyzing the lactose found in milk to produce lactose-free milk (LFM). Conventionally, β-galactosidases catalyze the hydrolysis of lactose to produce glucose and galactose in LFM; however, they can also catalyze transgalactosylation reactions that produce a wide range of galactooligosaccharides (GOS), which are functional prebiotic molecules that confer health benefits to human health. In this field, different works aims to identify novel microbial sources of β-galactosidase for removing lactose from milk with the relative GOS production. Lactase extracted from thermophilic microorganisms seems to be more suitable for the transgalactosylation process at relatively high temperatures, as it inhibits microbial contamination. Different immobilization methods, such as adsorption, covalent attachment, chemical aggregation, entrapment and micro-encapsulation, have been used to synthesize lactose-derived oligosaccharides with immobilized β-galactosidases. In this mini-review, particular emphasis has been given to the immobilization techniques and bioreactor configurations developed for GOS synthesis in milk, in order to provide a more detailed overview of the biocatalytic production of milk oligosaccharides at industrial level.

Trends in lactose-derived bioactives: synthesis and purification

Lactose obtained from cheese whey is a low value commodity despite its great potential as raw material for the production of bioactive compounds. Among them, prebiotics stand out as valuable ingredients to be added to food matrices to build up functional foods, which currently represent the most active sector within the food industry. Functional foods market has been growing steadily in the recent decades along with the increasing awareness of the World population about healthy nutrition, and this is having a strong impact on lactose-derived bioactives. Most of them are produced by enzyme biocatalysis because of molecular precision and environmental sustainability considerations. The current status and outlook of the production of lactose-derived bioactive compounds is presented with special emphasis on downstream operations which are critical because of the rather modest lactose conversion and product yields that are attainable. Even though some of these products have already an established market, there are still several challenges referring to the need of developing better catalysts and more cost-effective downstream operations for delivering high quality products at affordable prices. This technological push is expected to broaden the spectrum of lactose-derived bioactive compounds to be produced at industrial scale in the near future.

Graphical abstract

Evaluation of Safety through Acute and Subacute Tests of Galacto-Oligosaccharide (GOS)

Acute and subacute toxicity tests were undertaken on a novel galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) produced from lactose by β-galactosidase derived from Bacillus circulans. Toxicity was evaluated by single dose oral administration (5,000 mg/kg) and was repeated at day 28 (1,000 mg/kg) in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. In acute toxicity tests, the protein levels of male rats administered GOS showed a significant difference from controls, but remained within the normal range. There were no GOS-related changes in clinical symptoms, weight, food intake, hematology, blood chemistry, relative organ weight, or severe pathology in rats treated with GOS compared with controls. The no observed adverse effect level of GOS was at least 1,000 mg/kg/d in both male and female rats. Bovine-specific genes were not detected in GOS 70%-based products (NeoGOS-P70, NeoGOS-L70, and organic GOS), indirectly showing the absence of an allergen and that products containing GOS 70% are non-toxic and allergen-free.

Galacto-oligosaccharides as infant prebiotics: production, application, bioactive activities and future perspectives

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are non-digestible oligosaccharides characterized by a mix of structures that vary in their degree of polymerization (DP) and glycosidic linkage between the galactose moieties or between galactose and glucose. They have enjoyed extensive scientific scrutiny, and their health-promoting effects are supported by a large number of scientific and clinical studies. A variety of GOS-associated health-promoting effects have been reported, such as growth promotion of beneficial bacteria, in particular bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, inhibition of pathogen adhesion and improvement of gut barrier function. GOS have attracted significant interest from food industries for their versatility as a bioactive ingredient and in particular as a functional component of infant formulations. These oligosaccharides are produced in a kinetically-controlled reaction involving lactose transgalactosylation, being catalyzed by particular β-galactosidases of bacterial or fungal origin. Despite the well-established technology applied for GOS production, this process may still meet with technological challenges when employed at an industrial scale. The current review will cover relevant scientific literature on the beneficial physiological properties of GOS as a prebiotic for the infant gut microbiota, details of GOS structures, the associated reaction mechanism of β-galactosidase, and its (large-scale) production.

Immobilization of papain: A review

Papain is a cysteine protease from papaya, with many applications due to its broad specificity. This paper reviews for first time the immobilization of papain on different supports (organic, inorganic or hybrid supports) presenting some of the features of the utilized immobilization strategies (e.g., epoxide, glutaraldehyde, genipin, glyoxyl for covalent immobilization). Special focus is placed on the preparation of magnetic biocatalysts, which will permit the simple recovery of the biocatalyst even if the medium is a suspension. Problems specific to the immobilization of proteases (e.g., steric problems when hydrolyzing large proteins) are also defined. The benefits of a proper immobilization (enzyme stabilization, widening of the operation window) are discussed, together with some artifacts that may suggest an enzyme stabilization that may be unrelated to enzyme rigidification.

Optimization and comparison of the production of galactooligosaccharides using free or immobilized Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase, followed by purification using silica gel

The aim of this study was to optimize and compare the production of galactooligosaccharides (GOSs) by free and cotton cloth-immobilized Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase, and perform economical evaluation of production of GOSs (100%) between them. Using the response surface method, the optimal reaction time (3.9 h), initial lactose concentration (57.13%), and enzyme to lactose ratio (44.81 U/g) were obtained for the free enzyme, which provided a GOSs yield of 32.62%. For the immobilized enzyme, the optimal yield of GOSs (32.48%) was obtained under reaction time (3.09 h), initial lactose concentration (52.74%), and temperature (50.0 ℃). And it showed desirable reusability during five successive enzymatic reactions. The recovery rate of GOSs (100%) is 65% using silica gel filtration chromatography. The economical evaluation showed almost no difference in the manufacturing cost for the GOSs (100%) between these two systems, and that the recovery rate had a great impact on the cost.

Infant-Associated Bifidobacterial β-Galactosidases and Their Ability to Synthesize Galacto-Oligosaccharides

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) represent non-digestible glycans that are commercially produced by transgalactosylation of lactose, and that are widely used as functional food ingredients in prebiotic formulations, in particular in infant nutrition. GOS consumption has been reported to enhance growth of specific bacteria in the gut, in particular bifidobacteria, thereby supporting a balanced gut microbiota. In a previous study, we assessed the hydrolytic activity and substrate specificity of seventeen predicted β-galactosidases encoded by various species and strains of infant-associated bifidobacteria. In the current study, we further characterized seven out of these seventeen bifidobacterial β-galactosidases in terms of their kinetics, enzyme stability and oligomeric state. Accordingly, we established whether these β-galactosidases are capable of synthesizing GOS via enzymatic transgalactosylation employing lactose as the feed substrate. Our findings show that the seven selected enzymes all possess such transgalactosylation activity, though they appear to differ in their efficiency by which they perform this reaction. From chromatography analysis, it seems that these enzymes generate two distinct GOS mixtures: GOS with a relatively short or long degree of polymerization profile. These findings may be the stepping stone for further studies aimed at synthesizing new GOS variants with novel and/or enhanced prebiotic activities and potential for industrial applications.

Production of a synbiotic composed of galacto-oligosaccharides and Saccharomyces boulardii using enzymatic-fermentative method

Motivated by the search for healthy alimentation and sustainable technological processes, this study aimed to produce a synbiotic composed of the prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii, simultaneously, using cheese whey permeate as substrate by enzymatic-fermentative method. A central composite rotatable design with center point was used to evaluate the influence of temperature and enzyme concentration in the GOS and S. boulardii production. The best condition to obtain the prebiotic was at 32 °C and enzyme concentration of 0.175% (w/w), providing 56.84 g L^-1 of GOS concentration and Ln(3.59) 10⁷ viable cells mL^-1 of S. boulardii production. However, the condition that would favor the simultaneous production of GOS and S. boulardii studied through desirability function is 29.5 °C and 0.14% (w/w) of enzyme concentration. The simultaneous enzymatic-fermentative method showed promising results considering industrial application and can be easily incorporated into dairy production lines as functional food.

Yarrowia lipolytica as an emerging biotechnological chassis for functional sugars biosynthesis

Functional sugars have unique structural and physiological characteristics with applied perspectives for modern biomedical and biotechnological sectors, such as biomedicine, pharmaceutical, cosmeceuticals, green chemistry, and agro-food. They can also be used as starting matrices to produce biologically active metabolites of interests. Though numerous chemical synthesis routes have been proposed and deployed for the synthesis of rare sugars, however, many of them are limited and economically incompetent because of expensive raw starting feedstocks. Whereas, the biosynthesis by enzymatic means are often associated with high catalyst costs and low space-time yields. Microbial production of rare sugars via green routes using bio-renewable resources offers noteworthy solutions to overcome the aforementioned limitations of synthetic and enzymatic synthesis routes. From the microbial-based synthesis perspective, the lipogenic yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is rapidly evolving as the most prevalent and unique "non-model organism" in the bio-production arena. Due to high flux tendency through the tri-carboxylic acid cycle intermediates and precursors such as acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, this yeast has been widely investigated to meet the increasing demand of industrially relevant fine chemicals, including functional sugars. Incredible interest in Y. lipolytica originates from its robust tolerance to unstable pH, salt levels, and organic compounds, which subsequently enable easy bioprocess optimization. Meaningfully, GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status creates Y. lipolytica as an attractive and environmentally friendly microbial host for the manufacturing of nutraceuticals, fermented food, and dietary supplements. In this review, we highlight the recent and state-of-the-art research progress on Y. lipolytica as a host to synthesize bio-based compounds of interest beyond the realm of well-known fatty acid production. The unique physicochemical properties, biotechnological applications, and biosynthesis of an array of value-added functional sugars including erythritol, threitol, fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, isomalto-oligosaccharides, isomaltulose, trehalose, erythrulose, xylitol, and mannitol using sustainable carbon sources are thoroughly vetted. Finally, we conclude with perspectives that would be helpful to engineer Y. lipolytica in greening the twenty-first century biomedical and biotechnological sectors of the modern world.

Immobilization of β-Galactosidase From Aspergillus oryzae on Electrospun Gelatin Nanofiber Mats for the Production of Galactooligosaccharides

Two simple and easily reproducible methods for the immobilization of β-galactosidase (β-gal) from Aspergillus oryzae on electrospun gelatin nanofiber mats (GFM) were developed. The process was optimized regarding the electrospinning solvent system and the subsequent cross-linking of GFM in order to increase their stability in water. β-Gal was covalently immobilized on activated gelatin nanofiber mats with hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) as a bifunctional linker and secondly via entrapment into the gelatin nanofibers during the electrospinning process (suspension electrospinning). Optimal immobilization parameters for covalent immobilization were determined to be at pH 7.5, 40 °C, β-gal concentration of 1 mg/mL and immobilization time of 24.5 h. For suspension electrospinning, the optimal immobilization parameters were identified at pH 4.5 and β-gal concentration of 0.027 wt.% in the electrospinning solution. The pH and temperature optima of immobilized β-gal shifted from 30 °C, pH 4.5 (free enzyme) to pH 3.5, 50 °C (covalent immobilization) and pH 3.5, 40 °C (suspension electrospinning). Striking differences in the Michaelis constant (KM) of immobilized β-gal compared with free enzyme were observed with a reduction of KM up to 50% for immobilized enzyme. The maximum velocity (vmax) of immobilization by suspension electrospinning was almost 20 times higher than that of covalent immobilization. The maximum GOS yield for free β-gal was found to be 27.7% and 31% for immobilized β-gal.

Production of functional mimics of human milk oligosaccharides by enzymatic glycosylation of bovine milk oligosaccharides

Consumption of mothers' milk is associated with reduced incidence and severity of enteric infections, leading to reduced morbidity in breastfed infants. Fucosylated and sialylated human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) are important for both direct antimicrobial action - likely via a decoy effect - and indirect antimicrobial action through commensal growth enhancement. Bovine milk oligosaccharides (BMO) are a potential source of HMO-mimics as BMO resemble HMO; however, they have simpler and less fucosylated structures. BMO isolated at large scales from bovine whey permeate were modified by the addition of fucose and/or sialic acid to generate HMO-like glycans using high-yield and cost-effective one-pot multienzyme approaches. Quadrupole time-of-flight LC/MS analysis revealed that 22 oligosaccharides were synthesized and 9 had identical composition to known HMO. Preliminary anti-adherence activity assays indicated that fucosylated BMO decreased the uptake of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 by human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells more effectively than native BMO.

Cheese Whey Processing: Integrated Biorefinery Concepts and Emerging Food Applications

Cheese whey constitutes one of the most polluting by-products of the food industry, due to its high organic load. Thus, in order to mitigate the environmental concerns, a large number of valorization approaches have been reported; mainly targeting the recovery of whey proteins and whey lactose from cheese whey for further exploitation as renewable resources. Most studies are predominantly focused on the separate implementation, either of whey protein or lactose, to configure processes that will formulate value-added products. Likewise, approaches for cheese whey valorization, so far, do not exploit the full potential of cheese whey, particularly with respect to food applications. Nonetheless, within the concept of integrated biorefinery design and the transition to circular economy, it is imperative to develop consolidated bioprocesses that will foster a holistic exploitation of cheese whey. Therefore, the aim of this article is to elaborate on the recent advances regarding the conversion of whey to high value-added products, focusing on food applications. Moreover, novel integrated biorefining concepts are proposed, to inaugurate the complete exploitation of cheese whey to formulate novel products with diversified end applications. Within the context of circular economy, it is envisaged that high value-added products will be reintroduced in the food supply chain, thereby enhancing sustainability and creating "zero waste" processes.

Technological Aspects of the Production of Fructo and Galacto-Oligosaccharides. Enzymatic Synthesis and Hydrolysis

Fructo- and galacto-oligosaccharides (FOS and GOS) are non-digestible oligosaccharides with prebiotic properties that can be incorporated into a wide number of products. This review details the general outlines for the production of FOS and GOS, both by enzymatic synthesis using disaccharides or other substrates, and by hydrolysis of polysaccharides. Special emphasis is laid on technological aspects, raw materials, properties, and applications.

Continuous enzymatic synthesis of lactulose in packed-bed reactor with immobilized Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase

Lactulose synthesis from fructose and lactose in continuous packed-bed reactor operation with glyoxyl-agarose immobilized Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase is reported for the first time. Alternative strategies to conventional batch synthesis have been scarcely explored for lactulose synthesis. The effect of flow rate, substrates ratio and biocatalyst-inert packing material mass ratio (M_B/M_IM) were studied on reactor performance. Increase in any of these variables produced an increase in lactulose yield (Y_Lu) being higher than obtained in batch synthesis at comparable conditions. Maximum Y_Lu of 0.6 g·g^-1 was obtained at 50 °C, pH 4.5, 50% w/w total sugars, 15 mL·min^-1, fructose/lactose molar ratio of 12 and M_B/M_IM of 1/8 g·g^-1; at such conditions yield of transgalactosylated oligosaccharides (Y_TOS) was 0.16 g·g^-1, selectivity (lactulose/TOS molar ratio) was 5.4 and lactose conversion (X_Lactose) was 28%. Reactor operation with recycle had no significant effect on yield, producing only some decrease in productivity.

Rational design of the beta-galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae to improve galactooligosaccharide production

The β-galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae produces galactooligosaccharides with beneficial prebiotic effects through the transglycosylation of lactose. However, its low galactooligosaccharide yield greatly limits its use in industrial applications. Rational design and site-directed mutagenesis were used to produce three mutants of A. oryzae β-galactosidase: N140C, W806F, and N140C/W806F. The galactooligosaccharide yields of N140C (50.7%), W806F (49.3%), and N140C/W806F (59.8%) represent substantial improvements over that of the wild-type (35.7%). The galactooligosaccharide yield of N140C/W806F is the highest reported to date. Our rational design approach suggests novel strategies for further study of the β-galactosidase reaction mechanism and has produced mutants may be more useful in industrial applications than wild-type A. oryzae β-galactosidase.

Development of organic semiconducting materials for deep-tissue optical imaging, phototherapy and photoactivation

Recent progress in developing organic semiconducting materials (OSMs) for deep-tissue optical imaging, cancer phototherapy and biological photoactivation is summarized.

Synthesis of a Fucosylated Trisaccharide Via Transglycosylation by α-L-Fucosidase from Thermotoga maritima

Fucosylated oligosaccharides, such as 2'-fucosyllactose in human milk, have important biological functions such as prebiotics and preventing infection. In this work, the effect of an acceptor substrate (lactose) and the donor substrate 4-nitrophenyl-α-L-fucopyranoside (pNP-Fuc) on the synthesis of a fucosylated trisaccharide was studied in a transglycosylation reaction using α-L-fucosidase from Thermotoga maritima. Conducting a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), it was demonstrated that synthesized oligosaccharide corresponded to a fucosylated trisaccharide, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of the hydrolyzed compound confirmed it was fucosyllactose. As the concentration of the acceptor substrate increased, the concentration and synthesis rate of the fucosylated trisaccharide also increased, and the highest concentration obtained was 0.883 mM (25.2% yield) when using the higher initial lactose concentration (584 mM). Furthermore, the lower donor/acceptor ratio had the highest synthesis, so at the molar ratio of 0.001, a concentration of 0.286 mM was obtained (32.5% yield).

Immobilization of Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase in an agarose matrix functionalized by four different methods and application to the synthesis of lactulose

Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase was immobilized in monofunctional glyoxyl-agarose and heterofunctional supports (amino-glyoxyl, carboxy-glyoxyl and chelate-glyoxyl agarose), for obtaining highly active and stable catalysts for lactulose synthesis. Specific activities of the amino-glyoxyl agarose, carboxy-glyoxyl agarose and chelate-glyoxyl agarose derivatives were 3676, 430 and 454IU/g biocatalyst with half-life values at 50°C of 247, 100 and 100h respectively. Specific activities of 3490, 2559 and 1060IU/g were obtained for fine, standard and macro agarose respectively. High immobilization yield (39.4%) and specific activity of 7700IU/g was obtained with amino-glyoxyl-agarose as support. The highest yields of lactulose synthesis were obtained with monofunctional glyoxyl-agarose. Selectivity of lactulose synthesis was influenced by the support functionalization: glyoxyl-agarose and amino-glyoxyl-agarose derivatives retained the selectivity of the free enzyme, while selectivity with the carboxy-glyoxyl-agarose and chelate-glyoxyl-agarose derivatives was reduced, favoring the synthesis of transgalactosylated oligosaccharides over lactulose.

A novel process for the production of high-purity galactooligosaccharides (GOS) using consortium of microbes

Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) are nondigestible dietary fibers which have a beneficial effect on human health by promoting the growth of probiotic bacteria in the gut. In addition, other health benefits have been reported from oligosaccharides consumption such as stimulation of intestinal mobility, colon cancer prevention, mineral absorption as well as protection against certain pathogenic bacterial infections. The goal of this research was to develop an efficient biotransformation system using a consortium of microbes for the production of ≥85% pure GOS and reusing the cell biomass in repeated cycles of biotransformation. Production of GOS by lactose transgalactosylation using whole cells of Sporobolomyces singularis MTCC 5491 as a source of β-galactosidase and monosaccharides utilization by yeast isolate (NUTIDY007) were studied. For increasing the purity of GOS, growth and bioconversion parameters on the transgalactosylation by the whole cells were investigated. Further, continuous production of GOS was studied in a reactor with microfiltration membrane system. A maximum GOS purity of 42% was achieved using single culture of S. singularis. Under optimized conditions, single culture of S. singularis produced a maximum of 56% pure GOS. Addition of second culture to the reaction mixture for utilization of glucose significantly increased the GOS purity from 56% to ≥85%. The product consisted of tri- to penta-galactooligosaccharides. Trisaccharides were the main component of the reaction mixture. A maximum productivity of 10.9 g/L/hr was obtained under the optimum conditions.

Synthesis and purification of galacto-oligosaccharides: state of the art

Lactose-derived non-digestible oligosaccharides are prominent components of functional foods. Among them, galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) outstand for being prebiotics whose health-promoting effects are supported on strong scientific evidences, having unique properties as substitutes of human milk oligosaccharides in formulas for newborns and infants. GOS are currently produced enzymatically in a kinetically-controlled reaction of lactose transgalactosylation catalyzed by β-galactosidases from different microbial strains. The enzymatic synthesis of GOS, although being an established technology, still offers many technological challenges and opportunities for further development that has to be considered within the framework of functional foods which is the most rapidly expanding market within the food sector. This paper presents the current technological status of GOS production, its main achievements and challenges. Most of the problems yet to be solved refer to the rather low GOS yields attainable that rarely exceed 40 %, corresponding to lactose conversions around 60 %. This means that the product or reaction (raw GOS) contains significant amounts of residual lactose and monosaccharides (glucose and galactose). Efforts to increase such yields have been for the most part unsuccessful, even though improvements by genetic and protein engineering strategies are to be expected in the near future. Low yields impose a burden on downstream processing to obtain a GOS product of the required purity. Different strategies for raw GOS purification are reviewed and their technological significance is appraised.

An Alternative Approach to Synthesizing Galactooligosaccharides by Cell-Surface Display of β-Galactosidase on Yarrowia lipolytica

An alternative strategy for synthesizing galactooligosaccharides (GOS) from an erythritol-producing yeast Yarrowia lipolytica using surface display technology was demonstrated. The engineered strain CGMCC11369 was developed by fusion of the β-galactosidase gene from Aspergillus oryzae to the YlPir1 gene, which codes for a cell wall protein. β-Galactosidase was effectively displayed on the cell surface of Yarrowia lipolytica start strain CGMCC7326. This engineered strain with surface-displayed β-galactosidase efficiently synthesized GOS from lactose. An amount of 160 g/L GOS was produced within 6 h in a solution of 500 g/L lactose and 5 mg/mL cell (dry weight) at pH 5.5 and 60 °C, with a yield of 51% of consumed lactose monohydrate. This newly developed method was applied with waste yeast paste from erythritol industry at least 10 times. The optimal reaction temperature increased to 60 °C, about 20 °C higher than that of free β-galactosidase, which was helpful for enhancing the reaction rate and GOS production.