Design and economics of industrial production of fructooligosaccharides
AbstractA process for industrial production of fructooligosaccharides (FOS’s) based on the conversion of sucrose by immobilized fructosyltransferase (FTase) from the cells of Aureobasidium pullulans CCY 27-1-94 was developed. Particular process operations and conditions were designed employing results of laboratory and semi-pilot scale experiments. The process flowsheet comprised three sections: FTase production, which included fermentation, isolation and purification of the enzyme, FTase immobilization and FOS’s production where a product with a high content of FOS’s was prepared by the removal of glucose, fructose and unreacted sucrose from the reaction mixture using simulated moving-bed chromatography. Two alternative process flowsheets were proposed for the annual production of 10 000 t of FOS’s: one for a powdery product and the second one for syrup. The economic analysis provided the costs for the production of immobilized FTase and FOS’s using two different price estimates for sucrose.