Production of prebiotic 6-kestose using Zymomonas mobilis levansucrase in carob molasses and its effect on 5-HMF levels during storage

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 297; p. 124897
• Main Authors: Taştan, Özge, Sözgen, Güler, Baysal, Taner, Kaplan Türköz, Burcu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2019
• Subjects: 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural; Carob molasses; Fructooligosaccharide; Levansucrase; Fructooligosaccharide; Carob molasses; Levansucrase; 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.05.171

•Zymomonas mobilis levansucrase was used to produce kestose in carob molasses.•Levansucrase treatment did not adversely affect the quality of the final product.•The 5-HMF content of the final product did not increase during storage.•Enzymatic sugar conversion can be used to prevent 5-HMF formation. Fructooligosaccharides have important potential use in the food industry due to their properties such as solubility in water, stability in acidity of fruit juices and during storage, low-calorie value and prebiotic effects. In this study, for the first time, Zymomonas mobilis levansucrase was used for in situ 6-kestose production in carob molasses. The produced kestose was stable during storage at 20 °C for 4 months. The product was evaluated for color, non-enzymatic browning index and titratable acidity during storage and the quality of the product was found comparable to that of control. Furthermore, the decreased amount of sucrose resulted in the prevention of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) formation during storage. As a result, carob molasses was converted into a high-quality prebiotic product with decreased sucrose content and reduced 5-HMF quantities, and a new method was developed to prevent 5-HMF formation in fruit juices and molasses.