IMO 900 POWDER.mp4

1. Introduction

Isomalto-oligosaccharide is a food ingredient that is added to various foods as either powder or a syrup. Chemically, IMO is a mixture of glucose oligomers with alpha-(1-6)-linkages such as isomaltose, panose, isomaltotriose, and isomaltopentose. The majority of glucose oligosaccharides found in IMO consist of 3-6 monosaccharide units linked together, however disaccharides as well as longer polysaccharides (up to 9 units) are also present.

2. Description of the novel process

Isomalto-oligosaccharide is formed by enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of starch from different cereal crops (wheat, barley, corn), pulses (lentils, peas), rice, tapioca (cassava), potato and other starch sources. Enzymes, including alpha-glucosidase, alpha-amylase, and pullulanase, hydrolyse the polysaccharides in starch to produce mono-, di-, tri-, and other smaller oligosaccharides with alpha- 1,4 and alpha-1,6 glycoside linkages. Yeast is added to remove glucose that may be formed as a result of the enzymatic hydrolysis reactions.

The final step in the starch hydrolysis is a saccharification step that yields high maltose syrup. Maltose syrup naturally contains di- and tri- oligosaccharides with alpha- 1,4 glycoside linkages. In order to convert these molecules into functional and low caloric molecules, these alpha-1,4 linkages are enzymatically converted into alpha-1,6 linkages, thus forming IMO. This step is achieved by the addition of an enzyme, transglucosidase (TG). To summarize, the TG enzyme converts malto-oligosaccharides to IMO.