US-12624062-B2 - Method for manufacturing allulose

US12624062B2US 12624062 B2US12624062 B2US 12624062B2US-12624062-B2

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an improved method for producing allulose and, more particularly, to a method for preparing a fructose-containing raw material solution by using raw sugar as a raw substrate used in the production process.

Inventors

Jae-kyung Yang
Ji Won Park
Jung Sook HAN
Go-Eun KIM
Choong Woo NAM
Chong Jin Park

Assignees

SAMYANG CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20201029
Priority Date: 20191031

Claims (13)

1 . A method for producing allulose, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining an invert sugar syrup containing fructose and glucose by treating a raw material for sucrose production containing sucrose with an invertase, without separating or purifying sucrose crystal from the raw material for sucrose production, preparing a fructose-rich feedstock for allulose production by subjecting the invert sugar syrup into a fructose separation process, and performing an allulose conversion reaction using the fructose-rich feedstock, wherein the raw material for sucrose production is juice or concentrate of sugar cane, juice or concentrate of sugar beet, a crystal obtained by removing molasses from the juice or the concentrate, or a solution of the crystal, and wherein the fructose-rich feedstock contains 90 wt % or more fructose based on the total saccharide solid content of the fructose-rich feedstock, wherein the fructose separation process comprises an activated carbon treatment step, an ion purification step, a high-purity separation step using simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography, and a concentration step for the invert sugar syrup.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the invert sugar syrup comprises fructose, glucose, and disaccharide or higher saccharide.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the invert sugar syrup has a saccharide solid content of 10 wt % or more.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the total content of fructose and glucose is 90 wt % or more, based on the total saccharide solid content of the invert sugar syrup.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein fructose is included in an amount of 40 wt % or more, and glucose is included in an amount of 60 wt % or less, based on 100 wt % of the total solid content of fructose and glucose contained in the invert sugar syrup.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fructose-rich feedstock contains 0.001 to 2.2 mg/L of 5-hydromethylfurfural (5-HMF).
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fructose-rich feedstock has a content of oligosaccharides having degree of polymerization of 3 (DP3) or higher in an amount 2.0 wt % or less based on the solid content.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the product of the allulose conversion reaction comprises 0.001 to 5.7 mg/L of 5-HMF.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the raw material for sucrose production is obtained by dissolving a crystal obtained by removing molasses from the juice or the concentrate.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the invert sugar syrup is obtained by adjusting the raw material for sucrose production to a temperature of 55 to 75° C. and a pH of 4.0 to 5.0, and treating with 0.01% to 1.0 wt % of invertase, based on the solid content of the raw material for sucrose production.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the product of the allulose conversion reaction is obtained by subjecting the fructose-rich feedstock for allulose production to a biological allulose conversion reaction.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the allulose conversion reaction uses a biological catalyst having an allulose conversion rate of 15% to 70%.
13 . The method of claim 1 , which further comprises a step of obtaining allulose crystals and a crystallization mother liquor by concentrating an allulose fraction, and crystallizing allulose from the product of the allulose conversion reaction.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates improved method for producing allulose and, more particularly, to a method for preparing a fructose-containing raw material solution by using raw sugar as a raw substrate used in the production process. BACKGROUND ART Allulose is an epimer of fructose(D-fructose) and is one kind of functional saccharides known as a rare saccharide, and it has been known to have an efficacy on prevention and improvement of diabetes, since it has sweetness of about 60 to 70% of sugar and almost zero calorie. In addition, allulose is known to have excellent solubility, and it is one of materials where utilization for food is attracting attention. Allulose is one of popular sugars that can replace sugar or fructose as a functional sweetener. Allulose can be produced by chemical or biological methods, The fructose-containing solution, which is a reaction raw material used in the allulose conversion step, may be a fructose isomerized product obtained by converting glucose obtained from decomposition of starch or the like by an isomerization reaction, or a fructose isomerized product obtained by hydrolyzing sugar. When allulose is produced using a sugar raw material, a process of producing sugar from existing raw sugar is required, and there are problems such as an increase in production cost and yield, and addition of multiple processes in the sugar production process. Further, in the case of isomerized sugar syrup obtained from existing corn, it contains a substance of DP3 or higher, which causes a problem of affecting the separation ability. When allulose is produced using sugar raw materials, the process of producing sugar from raw sugar can be eliminated. In the case of isomerized sugar syrup obtained from corn, substances of DP3 or higher also exist, which may affect the decomposition ability. Further, recently, due to price competition with overseas manufacturers of glucose and fructose corn syrup and other sugar cane sources, raw material costs are putting a burden on manufacturing costs. Thus, there is a need to produce allulose with cheaper raw materials and processes. In the allulose production process, the allulose conversion product has a low allulose content, and so it is necessary to increase the allulose purity for commercialization or crystallization. For this purpose, purification and concentration steps are required. Additionally, allulose has a demand for a crystalline powder, but allulose has low crystallinity which makes it difficult to crystallize. Further, when the allulose concentrate or allulose crystallization solution contains impurities, impurities need to be removed to ensure product quality. Particularly, some impurities may interfere with allulose crystallization or crystal growth. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide an efficient allulose production process with cheaper raw materials and processes, and to develop an allulose production method that minimizes the content of impurities contained in the allulose solution or the generation of impurities in the allulose production process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem An object of the present disclosure is to provide a method of producing allulose in which a fructose-containing raw material prepared using a raw material for sugar production is put as a raw material for the allulose production process, in order to improve the purity and yield of allulose by using sugar raw materials and to increase the utilization rate of raw materials, and a device used therefor. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method of producing allulose composes putting, as a raw material for the allulose production process, a fructose-containing raw material prepared using raw sugar, which can eliminate a sugar production process and a glucose production process so as to simplify the production process, as compared with a conventional method of producing allulose using sugar or isomerized fructose obtained from starch, and which can utilize low-cost raw materials and thus reduce production cost, as a raw material for the allulose production process, and a device used therefor. Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method of producing allulose comprises putting, as a raw material for the allulose, production process, a fructose-containing raw material prepared using raw sugar, which can control the content of impurities contained in allulose syrup or powder by reducing the content of oligosaccharides having DP3 or higher and other impurities contained in isomerized sugar syrup using a conventional starch in a conventional method, and a device used therefor. Technical Solution According to the present disclosure, there is provided a method of producing a fructose-containing raw material, comprising putting an invert sugar produced from raw sugar into a fructose separation process, in order to improve allulose purity and yield, and reduce impurities containe