Removal of lactobionic acid by electrodialysis

Abstract

-Lactobionic acid has a number of applications, such as in cosmetic formulations and detergents, as well as in the medical field, where it is used for the preservation of organs destined for transplantation. Previous studies have reported that a promising alternative procedure for the production of lactobionic acid is the biotechnological route, using permeabilized cells of Zymomonas mobilis to produce sorbitol and lactobionic acid from fructose and lactose. However, the acid produced during the process accumulates in the reaction medium, causing enzyme deactivation. It was found that this problem can be avoided by coupling an electrodialysis unit to the reaction vessel, resulting in efficient removal of the acid from the reaction medium and improved the stability of the enzyme. These tests employed a synthetic mixture containing lactobionic acid, sorbitol, lactose, and fructose, and a factorial design was performed to identify the most influential variables. The NaCl concentration in the concentrate stream, together with the potential difference, exerted the greatest effects on the rate of removal of lactobionic acid. In all experiments, the removal efficiency exceeded 95%. The best conditions for the system investigated were a potential of 60 V, and NaCl concentrations of 3 and 25 g L -1 in the concentrate stream and the electrode compartment, respectively.

Recombinant L-Asparaginase from Zymomonas mobilis: A Potential New Antileukemic Agent Produced in Escherichia coli

“…The Chemical Engineering Program’s Bioprocesses Laboratory at COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has used the bacterium Zymomonas mobilis for years to study the production of various substances, like ethanol, glyconic acid, sorbitol, lactobionic acid, and L-asparaginase [ 11 – 16 ]. The L-asparaginase obtained from Z .…”