Pekka Linko

Flavor release from spray-dried maltodextrin/gum arabic or soy matrices as a function of storage relative humidity

Abstract The microencapsulation of emulsified ethyl butyrate by spray drying and its release from the spray-dried powder was investigated. Retention of emulsified ethyl butyrate during spray was dependent on the concentration of maltodextrin and the type of emulsifier. The rate of release of the encapsulated ethyl butyrate during storage was not only dependent on the relative humidity of storage, but also on the type of the emulsifier. The rate of release of ethyl butyrate was analyzed using Avramis equation. The addition of 1% gelatin in the feed liquid had a pronounced influence in increasing the retention of ethyl butyrate during spray drying, and also in controlling the release rate of the encapsulated ethyl butyrate.

Biodegradable products by lipase biocatalysis

The interest in the applications of biocatalysis in organic syntheses has rapidly increased. In this context, lipases have recently become one of the most studied groups of enzymes. We have demonstrated that lipases can be used as biocatalyst in the production of useful biodegradable compounds. A number of examples are given. 1-Butyl oleate was produced by direct esterification of butanol and oleic acid to decrease the viscosity of biodiesel in winter use. Enzymic alcoholysis of vegetable oils without additional organic solvent has been little investigated. We have shown that a mixture of 2-ethyl-1-hexyl esters can be obtained in a good yield by enzymic transesterification from rapeseed oil fatty acids for use as a solvent. Trimethylolpropane esters were also similarly synthesized as lubricants. Finally, the discovery that lipases can also catalyze ester syntheses and transesterification reactions in organic solvent systems has opened up the possibility of enzyme catalyzed production of biodegradable polyesters. In direct polyesterification of 1,4-butanediol and sebacic acid, polyesters with a mass average molar mass of the order of 56,000 g mol-1 or higher, and a maximum molar mass of about 130,000 g mol-1 were also obtained by using lipase as biocatalyst. Finally, we have demonstrated that also aromatic polyesters can be synthesized by lipase biocatalysis, a higher than 50,000 g mol-1 mass average molar mass of poly(1,6-hexanediyl isophthalate) as an example.

MICROENCAPSULATION OF EMULSIFIED HYDROPHOBIC FLAVORS BY SPRAY DRYING

The retention of emulsified flavor during spray drying was investigated under various compositions of feed liquid. Drying of the emulsion solution was carried out in a spray dryer, equipped with a centrifugal atomizer. The retention of d-limonene during spray dying was nearly hundred percent independent of the composition of the feed liquid, whereas the retention of ethyl butyrate emulsified by gum arabic (GA) was much lower (0–20%). The retention of ethyl butyrate was markedly dependent on the concentration of maltodextrin and the type of emulsifier, indicating that the stability of emulsion is a controlling factor for flavor retention. The use of mixing emulsifiers, adjusting of density of ethyl butyrate, and the addition of 1% gelatin were quite effective procedures to improve the retention of ethyl butyrate, particularly when emulsified by GA.

Industrial Applications of Immobilized Cells

Although the application of the natural attraction of many microorganisms to surfaces has been applied in vinegar production since the early 1980s, and has long been utilized in waste water purification, the development of microbial cell immobilization techniques for special applications dates back only to the early 1960s. The immobilization may involve whole cells, cell fragments, or lysed cells. Whole cells may retain their metabolic activity with their complex multienzyme systems and cofactor regeneration mechanisms intact, or they may be killed in the process with only a few desired enzymes remaining active in the final biocatalyst. Cells may also be coimmobilized with an enzyme to carry out special reactions. Although relatively few industrial scale applications exist today, some are of very large scale. Current applications vary from relatively small scale steroid conversions to amino acid production and high fructose syrup manufacture. A vast number of potential applications are already known, and one of the most interesting applications may be in continuous fermentation such as ethanol production by immobilized living microorganisms. 373 references.

Production of l-lactic acid with immobilized Lactobacillus delbrueckii

SummaryLiving Lactobacillus delbrueckii cells were entrapped in calcium alginate gel beads and employed both in recycle batch and continuous column reactors to produce l-lactic acid from glucose. The substrate contained l% (w/v) yeast extract as nutrient and 4.8% (w/v) solid calcium carbonate as buffer. The maxiumum lactic acid yield obtained was 97%, of which more than 90% was l-lactic acid. The biocatalyst activity half-life in continuous operation was about 100 d, and only about 10% of the activity was lost during intermittent storage of the bioreactor at +7°C for about 5 months.

Effect of enzymatic interesterification on the melting point of tallow-rapeseed oil (LEAR) mixture

To reduce the melting point of a tallow-rapeseed oil mixture, the triglyceride composition of the mixture was altered by enzymatic interesterification in a solvent-free system. The interesterification and hydrolysis were followed by melting point profiles and by free fatty acid determinations. The degree of hydrolysis was linearly related to the initial water content of the reaction mixture. The rate of the interesterification reaction was influenced by the amount of enzyme but not much by temperature between 50 and 70°C. The melting point reduction achieved by interesterification depended on the mass fractions of the substrates: the lower the mass fraction of tallow, the larger the reduction of the melting point.

Lipase-catalyzed transesterification of rapeseed oil and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol

Lipase-catalyzed transesterification (alcoholysis) of lowerucic acid rapeseed oil and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol without an additional organic solvent was studied in stirred batch reactors. Of a number of commercially available enzymes investigated, the best results were obtained with aCandida rugosa lipase. The optimal transesterification conditions were an oil/alcohol molar ratio of 1∶2.8, a minimum of 1.0% (w/w) added water, and with a temperature of 37–55°C. Under the optimal conditions, a nearly complete conversion was obtained in one hour with 14.6% (w/w) lipase, whereas 0.3% (w/w) lipase required 10 h for similar results. The enzyme was inactivated at 60°C.

Continuous ethanol production by immobilized yeast reactor

SummarySaccharomyces cerevisiae yeast immobilized in calcium alginate gel beads was employed in packed-bed column reactors for continuous ethanol production from glucose or cane molasses, and for beer fermentation from barley malt wort. With properly balanced nutrient content or periodical regeneration of cells by nutrient addition and aeration, ethanol production could be maintained for several months. About 7 percent (w/v) ethanol content could be easily maintained with cane molasses diluted to about 17.5 percent (w/v) of total reducing sugars at about 4 to 5 h residence time. Beer of up to 4.5 percent (wv) of ethanol could be produced from barley wort at about 2 h residence time without any addition of nutrients.

Itaconic acid production by immobilizedAspergillus terreus from xylose and glucose

SummaryAspergillus terreus NRRC 1960 spores were entrapped in calcium alginate gel beads or alternotely the fungal mycelium was immobilized either on Celite R-626 or in agar gel cubes, and the biocatalyst was employed both in repeated batch and in continuous column reactors to produce itaconic acid from D-xylose or D-glucose. The highest itaconic acid yield obtained in a submerged culture batch fermentation was 54.5% based on total initial glucose (55 g/l) with a volumetric productivity of 0.32 g/l h, and 44.8% from xylose (67 g/l) with a productivity of 0.20 g/l h. In a repeated batch fermentation mycelium immobilized in agar gel had a productivity of 0.112 g/l h, and mycelium grown from spores immobilized in calcium alginate gel 0.06 g/l h, both from xylose (60 g/l). With the best immobilized biocatalyst system used employing Celite R-626 as a carrier, volumetric productivities of 1.2 g/l h from glucose and 0.56 g/l h from xylose (both at 60 g/l) were obtained in continuous column operation for more than 2 weeks.

FLAVOR ENCAPSULATION AND RELEASE CHARACTERISTICS OF SPRAY-DRIED POWDER BY THE BLENDED ENCAPSULANT OF CYCLODEXTRIN AND GUM ARABIC

The flavor inclusion powder was prepared by spray drying, using the combined encapsulation method of inclusion by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and emulsified by gum arabic (GA). d-Limonene and ethyl n-hexanoate were used as model flavors. The application of high pressure by Microfluidizer to the mixture of flavors and β-CD slurry was an effective means of forming inclusion complex. Flavor retention during spray drying under various compositions of the encapsulants was investigated. The flavor retention using the blended encapsulant was increased by adding GA in the encapsulant. The characteristics of release of encapsulated flavor during storage were evaluated at 50°C and 75% of relative humidity. The release rate of flavor in spray-dried powder depended on kinds of the flavors and composition of the encapsulant. The blending MD and β-CD in the feed liquid decreased the release rate of flavors. The rate of release of flavor was analyzed by Avramis Equation.