Inulo-Oligosaccharides: Continuous Production from Inulin by Immobilized Inulinase from Aspergillus niger and in vitro Utilization by Bifidobacteria

• Published in: Food Science and Technology Research Vol. 7; no. 2; pp. 145 - 148
• Main Authors: OHTA, Kazuyoshi, OGATA, Yasuko, KAMO, Yoshihiro, HIRAYAMA, Masao, NAKAMURA, Toyohiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology 2001
• Subjects: Aspergillus niger; bifidobacteria; Bifidobacterium; bioreactor; Clostridium perfringens; Dahlia; Escherichia coli; immobilized enzyme; inulin; inulinase; inulo-oligosaccharides
• ISSN: 1344-6606; 1881-3984; 1881-3984
• DOI: 10.3136/fstr.7.145

Endoinulinase was partially purified from the culture filtrate of a filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger mutant 817. The enzyme preparation was immobilized covalently onto a porous cellulose derivative, Amino-Cellulofine. A 5% (w/v) solution (pH 5.0) of pure dahlia inulin was fed continuously into a packed-bed column reactor containing the immobilized enzyme. The operating conditions were studied to produce a mixture of oligomers with a degree of polymerization of 3 to 5 by partial hydrolysis of inulin. Inulotriose (F3) and -tetraose (F4) were purified from the hydrolysis products by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. In vitro studies indicated that both the F3 and F4 were preferentially utilized by Bifidobacterium spp., but not by Escherichia coli or Clostridium perfringens.