Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb
Abstract
In response to the growing demand for the consumption of natural, healthy and low-calorie food, a large number of so-called alternative sugars has emerged since the early 80s, among them fructose. This sugar is a ketohexose, known as D-fructose or levulose, and is considered the sweetest sugar found in nature. Currently, fructose is mostly produced through the acid hydrolysis of sucrose, or through the multi-enzymatic hydrolysis of starch. Processes involving specific enzymes like inulinases, acting on widely available fructose polysaccharides such as inulin, have been studied as alternatives to the current approaches, in order to reduce time, complexity and costs involved in this process. Fructose syrup is used worldwide, mainly because of its sweetening power and functional properties. The present work aims to provide an overview of the properties of fructose and of the present and envisaged production processes, within the scope of a biotechnological approach.Zbog sve većih zahtjeva potrošača za prirodnom, zdravom i niskokaloričnom hranom, već od ranih 1980-ih godina razvijen je veliki broj tzv. alternativnih šećera, među njima i fruktoza, ketoheksoza, poznata kao D-fruktoza ili levuloza, koja je najslađi šećer u prirodi. Trenutačno se proizvodi najčešće kiselinskom hidrolizom saharoze ili enzimskom hidrolizom škroba. Da bi se dobio što brži, jednostavniji i jeftiniji postupak, istraženi su procesi u kojima se primjenjuju specifični enzimi poput inulinaza, što djeluju na razne fruktozne polisaharide (npr. inulin). Fruktozni se sirup koristi u cijelom svijetu uglavnom zbog svoje slatkoće i funkcionalnih svojstava. Svrha je ovoga rada prikazati postupke biotehnološke proizvodnje fruktoze te opisati njezina svojstva
