Applexion® Processes for Starch Sweetener Production

A strong expertise providing cost-effective and flexible solutions

Novasep is able to produce sweeteners from a wide range of starch raw materials. For example, cereals such as wheat or corn, and tubercles such as potatoes or cassava are excellent sources of natural sweeteners.

The production of sweeteners includes the conversion of these starch raw materials into many different grades of liquid sweeteners and their purification to industrial food market specifications.

Novasep fully designs and implements either complete process lines from starch to final products or single unit operation for the production of:

• Acid-converted glucose syrup
• Low DE glucose syrups
• High DE glucose syrups
• Maltose syrups
• HFS 42, HFS 55, HFS 90
• Crystalline dextrose / fructose
• Polyols (sorbitol, mannitol…)
• Oligosaccharides

Some plants, such as chicory roots or agave, naturally contain inulin instead of starch. Inulin is a large fructose polymer and is used as raw material for the industrial production of long chains inulin, fructo-oligo-saccharides (FOS) or fructose syrup.
Novasep has also developed dedicated processing technology for producing inulin and derivatives.

These process lines have been optimized through 20 years of experience of Novasep in the sweetener industry, developing and combining liquid separation technologies, such as:

• Membrane microfiltration
• Ion exchange demineralization
• SSMB continuous chromatographic separation
• Plate & frame / multiple effect evaporators

Production of Glucose from Starch

This basic process line enables you to produce glucose syrups from food grade native starch.
Novasep’s processes are highly flexible and allow you to use various sources of starch, with appropriate process tuning.

Also, the same process line can produce alternatively:

• High maltose syrups and high DE glucose syrups using two simple, free enzymes:
  • α-amylase for liquefaction
  • fungal α-amylase or amyloglucosidase for saccharification
• Low DE glucose syrups can also be produced in that same process line by using more complex enzymatic cocktails at the saccharification step

Production of HFS from Glucose Syrups

High-Fructose Syrup (HFS) - also called Isoglucose, is a group of starch-based syrups that has undergone enzymatic processing plus possibly chromatographic separation to convert its glucose into fructose to produce the desired sweetness.

In the US, Japan and Europe, HFCS is typically used as a sugar substitute and is ubiquitous in processed foods and beverages, including soft drinks, yogurts, industrial bread, cookies, salad dressing, tomato soup,...

The most widely used types of high-fructose syrup are:

• HFS42: used in many foods and baked goods
• HFS55: mostly used in soft drinks
• HFS90: also used but in small quantities for specialty applications; primarily it is mixed with HFS42 to make HFS55

The table below compares the relative sweetness:

• HFS42 is less sweet than table sugar (sucrose)
• HFS55 is comparable to sucrose
• HFS90 is sweeter than sucrose

Sweeteners	Sweetening Power
Sucrose	100
Glucose	70
HFS42	93
HFS55	100
fructose	110-130

 

The enzymatic isomerization consists in converting D-Glucose (Dextrose) in Fructose according to the reaction below:

Novasep designs and implements your processes according to High Fructose Syrup 42 and 55, Quality Guidelines and Analytical Procedures, from ISBT (International Society of Beverage Technologists), which have been developed by major producers and end-users.

Starch Sweeteners and Derivatives

Besides the basic process line enabling you to produce glucose and fructose syrups from starch, Novasep designs and implements parallel processes for larger project capacities. These multi-product processes allow you to produce several products in parallel to better address local market demand.

Novasep Technologies

• Enzymatic conversion
  Specification of the best enzymes for both conversion steps, liquefaction and saccharification.

• Membrane microfiltration
  The clarification of saccharified juice by cross-flow filtration (with Kerasep® ceramic membranes) minimizes or eliminates consumption of filtering aids and activated powdered carbon, and reduces effluent production and manpower. By eliminating soluble proteins, it also improves the quality of the filtration, thus reducing the cost of downstream refining.

• Ion exchange / Demineralization
  Our highly-efficient and compact upflow demineralization and decolorization systems provide you with a better quality of final product and a lower consumption of chemicals, water and resin.

• Evaporation
  Thanks to an optimum use of the compact multiple-effects plate evaporators there is minimal recolorization of the purified syrups: the quality is thus preserved during storage and shipping.

• Isomerization immobilized enzymes
  Fixed isomerase can be used for converting glucose into fructose, or fructose into glucose. Optimized design is mandatory, to insure optimum enzyme lifetime and operating costs.

• Continuous chromatography
  Unique separation of glucose and fructose by the original Applexion® Sequential Simulated Moving Bed (SSMB). This system using continuous chromatography separation provides lower elution, water and resin requirements and increased glucose/fructose fractions purities. SSMB can also be used for other separations: enrichment of dextrose, maltose, polyols separation, etc.
  High productivity SSMB4 (4-cell SSMB) are used for production of HFS 55, whereas high purity SSMB6 (6-cell SSMB) are used for HFS 90 and crystalline fructose.

 

Production of Starch Sweeteners – Your Benefits

Global Development and Engineering Services

Whether you need a complete production line for sweeteners or a unit operation, we can meet your request.
We offer complementary services for the production of your sweeteners from feasibility studies to design and construction of systems, detailed engineering studies, plant commissioning and follow-up services...

Lower Cost

Our experienced teams of process engineers design, build and implement complete compact and efficient process lines with optimized operating costs. We develop custom-made processes while guaranteeing a high and stable quality level of the final product and lowering manpower needs.

Color

We develop green and environment-friendly processes including ultrafiltration with ceramic membranes, continuous chromatographic systems (Applexion® SSMB) and ion exchange processes (using Applexion® XA resins) with reduced chemical and water consumption.

Other

Our Customer Service team (A.S.A.P.) offers the highest quality assistance and follow-up.
We offer a broad scope of services such as:

• customer technical services (industrial operation assistance, maintenance contract, training, pilot plants, process optimization)
• products (spare parts, equipment)

Download our brochures for ingredient purification and production (food, functional, bio-industries).

For any questions on Novasep's purification/separation services and equipment for industrial biotech applications, please contact us