Recent advances on prebiotic lactulose production.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Carbohydrate Chemistry
• Food Science

Background:

• Lactulose, a synthetic disaccharide, is a valuable prebiotic with applications in the dairy industry.
• Current industrial production relies on chemical isomerization of lactose, facing environmental and separation challenges.
• Enzymatic synthesis presents a promising, sustainable alternative for lactulose production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare chemical and enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of lactulose.
• To review critical operating conditions and operational modes for enzymatic lactulose synthesis via transgalactosylation.
• To summarize recent advancements in enzymatic isomerization of lactose using cellobiose 2-epimerase for enhanced lactulose yields.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on chemical and enzymatic lactulose synthesis.
• Analysis of factors influencing enzymatic transgalactosylation using microbial enzymes.
• Compilation of recent findings on cellobiose 2-epimerase for lactose isomerization.

Main Results:

• Enzymatic synthesis demonstrates potential as an environmentally friendly and efficient method for lactulose production.
• Optimizing operating conditions and operation modes is crucial for maximizing enzymatic lactulose yield.
• Cellobiose 2-epimerase has shown promise for achieving elevated lactulose yields from lactose.

Conclusions:

• Enzymatic routes, particularly using cellobiose 2-epimerase, are superior to chemical methods for sustainable lactulose production.
• Further research into optimizing enzymatic processes can enhance the industrial viability of lactulose.
• Lactulose production via enzymatic isomerization represents a significant advancement in dairy derivative processing.