Continuous hydrolysis of raffinose family oligosaccharides in soymilk by fluidized bed reactor

Abstract

Soybean is an important pulse crop for human and animal nutrition. However, raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) found in soybean seeds specifically hinder its consumption as it is not digested by normal human carbohydrases and is fermented by intestinal microflora, leading to flatulence. Immobilized spores of Aspergillus oryzae were grown for 5 days in calcium alginate gel beads, then harvested and employed in RFOs hydrolysis in batch mode, repeated batch and continuous mode in a fluidized bed reactor. Effective hydrolysis of 244.4 mg/60 ml was obtained after 6 h incubation. And in continuous mode 465.6 mg/100 ml was obtained at a flow rate of 25 ml/h. The use of immobilized A. oryzae cells for hydrolysis of RFOs is a promising solution to overcome flatulence and to increase the consumption of soy products. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.