LAUSR

The study investigated an integrated bioprocessing of raw and by-products from sugarcane and dairy industries for production of non-digestible prebiotic and functional ingredients. The low-priced feedstock, whey, molasses, table sugar, jaggery, etc., were subjected to transglucosylation reactions catalyzed by dextransucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides MTCC 10508. HPLC analysis approximated production of about 11–14 g L−1 trisaccharide i.e. 2-α-d-glucopyranosyl-lactose (4-galactosyl-kojibiose) from the feedstock prepared from table sugar, jaggery, cane molasses and liquid whey, containing about 30 g L−1 sucrose and lactose each. The trisaccharide was hydrolysed into the prebiotic disaccharide, kojibiose, by employing recombinant β-galactosidase from Escherichia coli. The enzyme β-galactosidase achieved about 90% conversion of 2-α-d-glucopyranosyl-lactose into kojibiose. The d-fructose generated by catalytic reactions of dextransucrase was targeted for catalytic transformation into rare sugar, d-allulose (or d-psicose), by treating the samples with Smt3-d-psicose 3-epimerase. The catalytic reactions resulted in the conversion of ~ 25% d-fructose to d-allulose. These bioactive compounds are known to exert a plethora of benefits to human health, and therefore, are preferred ingredients for making functional foods.