Bagasse is a by-product of sugar production and is a large and underutilized agricultural product resource, some of which are only used as fuel for sugar factories. The Japan Food Research Institute has developed a technology that combines sugarcane bagasse with steam explosion treatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation to obtain oligosaccharide-rich dietary fiber materials.
The xylose in bagasse contains about 30% xylose gum, which is a raw material for xylooligosaccharides and xylitol. It is a high value-added food material, but the fiber components - cellulose and lignin It is difficult to break down. In addition, xylooligosaccharide is a new type of food additive that is currently receiving much attention. Its sweetness is low and it is not easy to digest, but its bifidobacteria has strong proliferative ability, which has lower blood pressure, serum cholesterol, enhance immunity and promote The role of calcium absorption is a functional and high-value food material.
In order to facilitate the melting of the xylose gum in the bagasse, it is treated by a steam explosion method. The pulverized bagasse is rapidly released at atmospheric pressure with a high-pressure steam of about 200 ° C for a short time (1 to 2 minutes) to puff the cell wall fibers. Since the steam explosion treatment can destroy the fiber structure of the bagasse, the xylose gum is more easily melted, and then the xylanase treatment is directly carried out by enzymatic hydrolysis and microorganisms, or the yeast having high xylanase activity is used for fermentation treatment. It is easy to decompose xylooligosaccharides and to make xylooligosaccharide high in content and strong in oxidation resistance. The bagasse is subjected to steam explosion treatment to obtain xylooligosaccharides mainly composed of auxin and xylose and containing solid content of 2% or more and having strong oxidation resistance. It is brown in color and has a black sugar scent.
The use of bagasse to produce xylo-oligosaccharides can greatly increase the added value of crops, reduce environmental pollution and accelerate the virtuous cycle of agro-ecosystems.