Hydrolysis of disaccharides containing glucose residue in subcritical water

Abstract

The hydrolysis of disaccharides consisting of two glucose residues or of glucose and fructose or galactose residues in subcritical water was measured using a tubular reactor at 10 MPa and 180–260 °C. The relationship between the fraction of remaining disaccharide and the residence time could be expressed by the Weibull equation for all the disaccharides tested at any temperature. The susceptibility to hydrolysis largely depended on the type of disaccharide, and it was found that the electrostatic potential charge of a glucosidic oxygen atom was an indication for the susceptibility of disaccharide to the hydrolysis. It was also shown that the enthalpy–entropy compensation held for the hydrolysis of disaccharides in subcritical water.