Perspectives on the biotechnological production and potential applications of lactosucrose: A review

Abstract

Available online A B S T R A C TLactosucrose is a synthetic trisaccharide composed of galactose, glucose and fructose. This compound is obtained through enzymatic synthesis using lactose and sucrose as substrates. The enzymes involved in the process are able to catalyse both hydrolysis and transfer reactions. The yield and productivity of the process are usually affected by the occurrence of parallel hydrolysis of the newly formed product (lactosucrose). Therefore, it is important to find efficient strategies to avoid or minimize product degradation. Furthermore, in the last decades the demand for lactosucrose has significantly increased. This compound is considered a potential prebiotic and several beneficial effects associated to its consumption have been described. As a result, it has been included in the formulations of functional foods. This review covers the most relevant information about lactosucrose, including its synthesis and purification, beneficial effects at physiological level, and also its potential applications.

Crystal structure of a β-fructofuranosidase with high transfructosylation activity from Aspergillus kawachii

“…Some GH68 enzymes have an ability to produce lactosucrose, a trisaccharide, from a mixture of sucrose and lactose. 37,48,49) To determine whether AkFFase produces lactosucrose, we placed models of lactosucrose and nystose in the structure of AkFFase (Fig. 6(C)).…”

Biocatalytic synthesis of lactosucrose using a recombinant thermostable β-fructofuranosidase from Arthrobacter sp. 10138

“…Lactosucrose with good solubility and indigestibility is a promising dietary fiber with an ideal prebiotic effect [1]. It was listed in the Foods for Specific Health Uses (FOSHU) in Japan in 2005 [2] and has wide applications in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and feed industries [3][4][5][6][7].…”

β-galactosidase from Aspergillus lacticoffeatus : A promising biocatalyst for the synthesis of novel prebiotics

“…The hydrolytic activity is commonly applied in the food industries to reduce the lactose content of dairy products, preventing lactose crystallization problems and increasing sweetness, flavor and solubility (Gänzle et al, 2008). On the other hand, transgalactosylation reactions have been explored in the synthesis of lactose-based prebiotics, such as galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), lactulose and lactosucrose (Silvério et al, 2015(Silvério et al, , 2016Torres et al, 2010), with potential application in the pharmaceutical and food industry. The consumption of these prebiotics is associated with several health benefits such as the maintenance or restoring of a healthy gut microbiota, the reduction of colitis and cancer risk, as well as the increase of the absorption of minerals such as calcium and magnesium (Bruno- Barcena and Azcarate-Peril, 2015;Mao et al, 2014;Seki et al, 2007;Weaver et al, 2011;Zhou et al, 2015).…”