Biotechnological Applications of Inulinases

Inulinases are fructan-hydrolysing enzymes that catalyse the conversion of inulin, a plant reserve polysaccharide, into fructose and fructooligosaccharides. Their versatility underpins applications in food processing, biorefinery and pharmaceutical production. In the food sector, inulinases enable high-purity fructose syrup manufacture and the generation of prebiotic oligosaccharides that support gut health. In biorefinery contexts, these enzymes facilitate the saccharification of inulin-rich feedstocks and their integration with microbial fermentation for the synthesis of biochemicals and biodegradable polymers. Advances in enzyme immobilisation and fermentation engineering have improved operational stability, reusability and substrate range, while developments in enzyme engineering, including glycoengineering, have yielded variants with enhanced thermostability and tailored substrate affinity. Collectively, these innovations highlight the pivotal role of inulinase-driven processes in sustainable manufacturing and value addition to agricultural residues.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Biotechnological Applications of Inulinases publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biotechnological applications of inulinases across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Inulinase: Enzyme catalysing the hydrolysis of inulin into fructose and fructooligosaccharides.

Immobilisation: Process of fixing enzymes onto or within a solid support to enhance stability and enable multiple reuses.

Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF): Integrated operation in which enzymatic hydrolysis of polysaccharides and microbial fermentation of released sugars occur concurrently.

Solid-state fermentation: Cultivation of microorganisms on moist solid substrates without free-flowing liquid medium, often applied for enzyme production.

References

1. Immobilised Inulinase from Aspergillus niger for Fructose Syrup Production: An Optimisation Model. Foods (2024).
2. Bio-utilization of agricultural residue banana plant shoot through solid state fermentation for production of inulinase using newly isolated Nothophoma anigozanthi JAM. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery (2023).
3. Optimization of Inulin Hydrolysis by Penicillium lanosocoeruleum Inulinases and Efficient Conversion Into Polyhydroxyalkanoates. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2021).