Page 62 - FoodFocusThailand No.218 MAY 2024

SMART PRODUCTION

Enzymatic Recycling Process

for Sugar Beet Production:

Pathway to Sustainable

Sweetness

Sugar beet, renowned for its high sucrose content, holds immense
potential as a raw material for soluble sugar production,
which finds applications in diverse industries, including
food, beverage, and pharmaceuticals. In the realm of sugar beet processing, enzymatic hydrolysis stands
as a critical step in extracting these sugars by converting the complex carbohydrates within sugar beets into
valuable soluble sugars. However, the traditional enzymatic hydrolysis process often involves high enzyme
usage and associated costs. To address these challenges and enhance sustainability, researchers have been
exploring innovative approaches such as enzyme recycling. This article explores the process development
of sugar beet enzymatic hydrolysis, focusing on enzyme recycling for efficient soluble sugar production.

Enzymatic Hydrolysis Process of Sugar Beet One interesting research is the development of an enzyme
The enzymatic hydrolysis of sugar beet for soluble sugar production recycling process for soluble sugar production to reduce the
involves several key steps as follows: economic uncertainty raised by the high costs of enzymes by
1. Pretreatment: The sugar beet raw material undergoes reducing fresh enzyme usage. The hydrolysate obtained from
pretreatment to disrupt the complex cell wall structure, enhancing the beet hydrolysis by a mixture of cellulases and pectinases
the accessibility of enzymes to the polysaccharides. The standard was centrifuged and then processed through a 50 kDa
pretreatment methods include steam explosion, acid hydrolysis, or molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) polyethersulfone membrane
alkaline treatment, which facilitate enzyme penetration and to recover enzymes from the sample solution. This study found
subsequent hydrolysis. that liquid enzyme recycling with 50% fresh enzyme addition
2. Enzyme Selection: In hydrolysis, specific enzymes should achieved a similar liquefaction extent and sugar yield compared
be selected based on their ability to target the polysaccharides in to using 100% fresh enzyme. While comparing with the solid
sugar beet. This generally uses a combination of carbohydrases such enzyme recycling showed a lower liquefaction efficiency,
as cellulases, hemicellulases, and pectinases, each tailored to requiring at least 75% of fresh enzyme addition for a comparable
degrade the respective polysaccharide components into soluble liquefaction extent. Moreover, they also demonstrated
sugars. sequential batches of hydrolysis with enzyme recycling to
3. Enzyme Addition: The specific enzymes are added to the ensure no inhibitory effects would occur. Five batches of
pretreated sugar beet, initiating hydrolysis. These enzymes catalyze hydrolysis with liquid recycling presented no significant
the cleavage of glycosidic bonds within cellulose, hemicellulose, and difference in liquefaction between each batch of hydrolysis.
pectin, then release soluble sugars such as glucose, fructose, xylose, The initial batch with 100% fresh enzymes showed a lower
and arabinose. sugar content compared to the remaining four batches with
4. Hydrolysis Reaction: The enzyme-substrate interaction liquid recycling, which is due to the soluble sugar contained in
catalyzes the hydrolysis reaction, leading to the depolymerization of the retentate with the recycled enzymes. These results
polysaccharides into soluble sugar monomers. The importance of concluded that at least five sequential batches of hydrolysis
this process is maintaining the optimal conditions, including could be successfully conducted with liquid recycling without
temperature, pH, and enzyme concentration, to maximize sugar yield affecting either the quantity or quality of the final product.
and production efficiency. Enzymatic hydrolysis is considered a sustainable and
5. Soluble Sugar Recovery: The mixture obtained after the efficient method for sugar production from sugar beet, offering
complete hydrolysis process, known as hydrolysate, undergoes a renewable alternative to traditional sugar sources. Harnessing
separation through filtration and centrifugation or other separation the activity of enzymes to break down polysaccharides into
techniques to recover the soluble sugars from the insoluble residues. accessible sugars unlocks the full potential of sugar beet as a
valuable raw material for the food and beverage industry. It
Sugar Production Development with Enzymatic greatly contributes to a greener and more sustainable future.
Recycling Process However, the efficiency of enzyme recycling needs to be further
Although the enzymatic hydrolysis of sugar beet has potential, it still enhanced, which may be initiated by altering the MWCO
faces certain challenges, such as enzyme cost, optimization of membrane size to selectively retain beneficial enzymes or
process parameters, and the need for continuous research to enhance accelerating the enzyme desorption process to reduce
efficiency and reduce production costs. Current advancements may processing time, leading to an increase in the working cycle
involve the development of enzymes with improved activity and as well.
stability, including the integration of enzymatic hydrolysis with other
biological processes for comprehensive raw material utilization.

62 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND MAY 2024 More Information Service Info C008

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