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Gluconic acid production from sucrose in an airlift reactor using a multi-enzyme system

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Abstract

Sucrose from sugarcane is produced in abundance in Brazil, which provides an opportunity to manufacture other high-value products. Gluconic acid (GA) can be produced by multi-enzyme conversion of sucrose using the enzymes invertase, glucose oxidase, and catalase. In this process, one of the byproducts is fructose, which has many commercial applications. This work concerns the batch mode production of GA in an airlift reactor fed with sucrose as substrate. Evaluation was made of the influence of temperature and pH, as well as the thermal stability of the enzymes. Operational conditions of 40 °C and pH 6.0 were selected, based on the enzymatic activity profiles and the thermal stabilities. Under these conditions, the experimental data could be accurately described by kinetic models. The maximum yield of GA was achieved within 3.8 h, with total conversion of sucrose and glucose and a volumetric productivity of around 7.0 g L−1 h−1.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support provided by the Brazilian Research Foundations FAPESP (grant number 2011/23807-1), CNPq, and CAPES. The authors also thank LNF Latino Americana (Bento Gonçalves, Brazil) and Granotec do Brasil S.A. (Araucária, Brazil) for generous donation of the enzymes invertase and glucose oxidase, respectively, and the Postgraduate Program in Chemical Engineering of the Federal University of São Carlos (PPGEQ/UFSCar), where this work was undertaken.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate Program in Chemical Engineering of the Federal University of São Carlos (PPGEQ/UFSCar), Rodovia Washington Luiz, km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil

    Agnes Cristina Oliveira Mafra, Felipe Fernando Furlan, Alberto Colli Badino & Paulo Waldir Tardioli

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luiz, km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil

    Alberto Colli Badino & Paulo Waldir Tardioli

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  1. Agnes Cristina Oliveira Mafra
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  2. Felipe Fernando Furlan
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  3. Alberto Colli Badino
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  4. Paulo Waldir Tardioli
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Correspondence to Paulo Waldir Tardioli.

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Mafra, A.C.O., Furlan, F.F., Badino, A.C. et al. Gluconic acid production from sucrose in an airlift reactor using a multi-enzyme system. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 38, 671–680 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-014-1306-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-014-1306-2

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