Trehalose Is Not Actually From Seaweed!

Low-sweet, refreshing and stable trehalose is often used to make various baked goods and desserts. You and I may have eaten it. In 1984, the journal Science pointed out that many organisms that can survive anhydrous state, It is precisely because of the presence of trehalose in the body that it can survive in a difficult environment without water. Trehalose, which can help organisms survive harsh environments, is also called “the sugar of life”.

Trehalose is a disaccharide composed of two glucose molecules bound by α,1-1. As early as 1832, HAL Wiggers discovered trehalose in ergot bacteria that infect rye, and other studies have continued to discover natural Trehalose is present in many organisms in China.

Looking back, trehalose was actually discovered very early, but many people are still very unfamiliar with what kind of sugar trehalose is. People have carried out various studies on trehalose for a long time, and have also discovered various application properties such as trehalose stability, acid resistance, water retention, etc. However, due to the lack of mass production technology of trehalose in the early stage, it can only rely on methods such as separation from living organisms. Obtaining trehalose has made the price of trehalose so high that it has not been widely used.

The trehalose you eat is not actually made of seaweed

Until 1994, Japan HAYASHIBARA Co., Ltd. invented the patented technology for mass production of trehalose, which is the first method in the world that can mass-produce trehalose. HAYASHIBARA’s patent mainly finds two important enzymes from microorganisms: MSTase and MTHase. Starch is made up of many glucose molecules linked together. MSTase can convert the α-1,4 bond of amylose into α-1,1 bond, so that the end of the starch chain becomes trehalose, while MTHase ​​can convert starch The trehalose at the end of the chain is separated.

The mass production patent developed by HAYASHIBARA can use starch as the raw material for trehalose production, and can produce trehalose in large quantities and efficiently, so that the price of trehalose is no longer unattainable. Today, trehalose has been widely used. in various foods.

Application characteristics of trehalose

Generally speaking, when trehalose is used in baking, you can choose to replace about 20-40% of the sugar usage with trehalose, so that the product can remain soft and fluffy. However, it is not recommended to completely replace granulated sugar, because the properties of the two are still different, which may cause unexpected situations such as crystallization. In addition to being used in food, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries will also use trehalose as an antifreeze and protective agent.