Production and Properties of Microbial Inulinases: Recent Advances

Abstract

Microbial inulinases find application in enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin for production of fructose (sweetener) and inulooligosaccharides (prebiotics). Inulin is one of the most abundant nonstructural polysaccharides found widely dispersed in plants and awaits judicious utilization. Demands for an alternative healthy sweetener and multifunctional fructooligosaccharides have prompted investigators to explore microorganisms for inulinase production and to develop bioprocesses for production of high-fructose syrup and oligosaccharides based on enzymatic hydrolysis of raw inulin. Inulinases have been characterized in several molds, yeasts and a few bacteria. Recently, there has been a spurt of interest in finding novel inulinase producers, cloning and expression of inulinase gene in heterologous hosts and use of crude plant inulin and agro-industrial media in both submerged and solid state fermentation for inulinase production. The review discusses current knowledge on production, properties and applications of microbial inulinases and looks into the recent advances in the field.