We have developed a sustainable three-stage process for the bioconversion of cheese whey permeate into D-tagatose, a rare sugar with functional properties used as sweetener. The experimental conditions (pH, temperature, cofactors, etc.) for each step were independently optimized. The proposed integrated process takes place under mild conditions (neutral pH, moderate temperatures) in a short time (13 h), yielding a glucose-free syrup containing D-tagatose and galactose in a ratio 1:2 (w/w).
Ref: “A three-step process for the bioconversion of whey permeate into D-tagatose syrup free of glucose”. F.V. Cervantes, S. Neifar, Z. Merdzo, J. Viña-Gonzalez, L. Fernandez-Arrojo, A.O. Ballesteros, M. Fernandez-Lobato, S. Bejar and F.J. Plou. Catalysts 10(6), 647 (2020) https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10060647