Glucosyl stevia composition

摘要

Glucosyl stevia compositions are prepared from steviol glycosides of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. The glucosylation was performed by cyclodextrin glucanotransferase using starch as the source of glucose residues. The short-chain glucosyl stevia compositions were purified to >95% content of total steviol glycosides. The compositions can be used as sweetness enhancers, flavor enhancers and sweeteners in foods, beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

主权项

1. A process for producing a highly purified glucosyl stevia composition, comprising the steps of:
adding starch into water to form a starch suspension; adding a mixture of α-amylase and CGTase into the starch suspension and incubating for about 0.5 to 2 hours at about 75-80° C., resulting in a first liquefied starch suspension; inactivating the α-amylase by low pH heat treatment; cooling the first liquefied starch suspension and adjusting the pH to about 5.5 to 7.0; adding steviol glycosides into the first liquefied starch suspension, resulting in a first reaction mixture; adding CGTase into the first reaction mixture and incubating for about 12 to 48 hours at about 55-75° C.; removing non-reactant maltoologosaccharides by contacting the first reaction mixture with macroporous adsorbent resin and subsequently eluting adsorbed diterpene glycosides with aqueous ethanol to result in a glycoside-containing first aqueous ethanol eluate; removing ethanol from the first aqueous ethanol eluate, resulting in a first aqueous eluate; concentrating and drying the first aqueous eluate to obtain the first dried glucosyl stevia composition; preparing a second liquefied starch suspension in the same manner as the first liquefied starch suspension; adding the first dried glucosyl stevia composition into the second liquefied starch suspension, resulting in the second reaction mixture; adding CGTase into the second reaction mixture and incubating for about 12 to 48 hours at about 55-75° C.; inactivating the enzyme in the second reaction mixture by heat treatment; decolorizing the second reaction mixture; removing non-diterpene compounds by contacting the decolorized second reaction mixture with macroporous adsorbent resin and subsequently eluting adsorbed diterpene glycosides with aqueous ethanol to result in a glycoside-containing second aqueous ethanol eluate; desalting the glycoside-containing second aqueous ethanol eluate with ion-exchange resins; removing ethanol from the second aqueous ethanol eluate, resulting in a second aqueous eluate; and concentrating and drying the second aqueous eluate to obtain the highly purified glucosyl stevia composition;wherein the highly purified glucosyl stevia composition comprises steviol glycosides and their derivatives having up to twenty α-1,4-glucosyl residues.