PROCESS INCLUDING THE METERED ADDITION OF RAW MATERIAL AND ENZYME FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HIGHLY CONCENTRATED GLUCOSE SYRUPS AND MALTODEXTRINS FROM STARCHES

摘要

The invention relates to a process suitable for batch reactors and multistage continuous reactors for the production of sweeteners (maltodextrins and glucose syrups), using starch as a raw material and involving enzymatic liquefaction and saccharification, purification based on filtration and evaporation, heating and stirring during the steps of the process and maintaining specific conditions in terms of substrate concentration, temperature, concentration of enzyme in relation to the substrate and pH. The temperature ranges used for the enzymatic processes in the different steps involved in the production of each product are between 55° C and 95° C. According to the invention, the starch hydrolysis steps, known as gelatinisation and liquefaction, are performed simultaneously, with starch (between 6% and70% p/p) being loaded at different times, i.e. the liquefaction of the raw material is performed gradually before the saccharification step in order to obtain conversions and concentrations of up to 70% of soluble solids in the product, without significantly increasing the viscosity of the pre-gelatinised starch suspension and without producing unwanted by-products (retrograded starch). The syrups obtained using this method are commercially viable and a dextrose equivalent (DE) is obtained after between 60 and 260 minutes.