Production of 6-kestose by the filamentous fungus Gliocladium virens as affected by sucrose concentration

The filamentous fungus Gliocladium virens is able to produce fructooligosaccharides (FOS), fructose-containing sugars, used as functional ingredients to improve nutritional and technological properties of foods. In this work we evaluated FOS production by G. virens when grown in a wide range of sucrose concentrations (10–400 g l−1). High sucrose concentrations increased both biomass and FOS production, including 6-kestose, a trisaccharide comprising β (2 → 6) linked fructosyl units, with enhanced stability and prebiotic activity when compared to the typical FOS β (2 → 1) linked. The highest 6-kestose yield (3 g l−1) was achieved in media containing 150 g l−1 sucrose after 4–5 days of culture, production being 90% greater than in media containing 10, 30, or 50 g l−1 sucrose. After 5 days, FOS production declined markedly, following complete sucrose depletion in the medium. Although most of the β-fructofuranosidases preferentially catalyze sucrose hydrolysis, FOS production in G. virens grown in high sucrose concentration, might be attributed to a reverse hydrolysis by these enzymes. In conclusion, high sucrose concentrations increase growth of G. virens whilst 6-kestose accumulation in the medium seems to be controlled both by specific properties of β-fructofuranosidases and on the sucrose concentration.