Biocatalytic cascades for the controlled production of prebiotic isomaltooligosaccharides from starch

Trabajo presentado en el 3rd Multistep Enzyme Catalyzed Processes Congress, celebrado en Madrid (España) del 07 al 10 de abril de 2014.
Amylolytic enzymes have important applications both in the food and the pharmaceutical industries. Among them, the synthesis of prebiotic isomaltooligosaccharides (IMOS) is of growing interest. We are currently optimizing the preparation of IMOS from starch following a multi-enzyme process based on a first hydrolytic step employing amylases from commercial sources or obtained from non-conventional yeasts, in particular Schwanniomyces occidentalis. A resulting syrup enriched in maltose or maltotriose is highly desirable to favour IMOS synthesis. The second step is the transglucosylation process catalyzed by alpha-glucosidases that can selectively form alpha-(1-6) linkages between glucoses. This reaction is also being studied with commercially available enzymes or that obtained from the yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous (formerly Phaffia rhodozyma). The process can be performed in one-pot or in two consecutive reactions. The main advances using the different methodologies will be addressed.