Trehalose production: exploiting novel approaches

摘要

Trehalose (a-D-glucopyranosyl a-D-glucopyranoside) is a unique sugar capable of protecting biomolecules against environmental stress. It is a stable, colorless, odor-free and non-reducing disaccharide, and is widespread in nature. Trehalose has a key role in the survival of some plants and insects, termed anhydrobionts, in harsh environments, even when most of their water body is removed. The properties of these types of organism drove attention towrds the study of trehalose. Since then, it proved to be an active stabilizer of enzymes, proteins, biomasses, pharmaceutical preparations and even organs for transplantation.