Prebiotic and antioxidant effect of glucose oligosaccharides obtained from banana pseudostem

• Grant number: 20/09166-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2020
• End date: December 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Michel Brienzo
• Grantee: Giovanna Leça Zirondi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisa em Bioenergia (IPBEN). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/22401-8 - Fruit-refinery: obtention processes, characterization methods and generation of products derived from residues of the fruitculture, AP.TEM

Abstract

Glucose oligomers can have a prebiotic effect and antioxidant activity, and can be obtained from amorphous cellulose from lignocellulosic biomass. Materials such as banana pseudostem and food residues are abundant and their cellulose can be accessed efficiently after pre-treatments, such as alkaline. The amorphous region of cellulose can be broken down into glucose oligomers by endoglucanases after enzymatic hydrolysis. This process generates oligosaccharides, which are of industrial interest due to their potential prebiotic and antioxidant properties. This study will use alkaline pretreatment to partially delignify biomass and milling to decrease crystallinity, and thus increase accessibility to cellulose. This cellulose will be subjected to hydrolysis by endoglucanases to produce the oligomers, and evaluated for the stimulation of probiotic microorganisms and antioxidant activity. This process will produce glucose oligosaccharides, a product derived from cellulose with high added value. This project is inserted in a Fruit Refinery context of a Thematic Project (2017 / 22401-8), collaborating with the use of polysaccharides.