A production device for preparing low-grafted glucose-based steviol glycosides
By integrating enzyme catalysis, cleavage, cooling, and membrane purification processes, the problem of generating mixtures in the glucosylation reaction in existing technologies has been solved, thereby increasing the content and production efficiency of low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides and reducing costs.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- DONGTAI HAORUI BIOTECHNOLOGY CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-07
AI Technical Summary
In existing production technologies, the glucosylation reaction generates a mixture with different graft numbers. Traditional processes are lengthy and energy-intensive. Furthermore, the purity of low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides is insufficient. The enzyme catalysis process is prone to pH fluctuations and local overheating, resulting in reduced enzyme activity and low conversion rate. The equipment is redundant and costs are increased.
An integrated process combining enzyme catalysis, lysis, cooling, membrane purification, and drying units, along with real-time monitoring and adjustment using pH and temperature sensors, is employed to replace traditional methods with membrane purification, thereby improving the conversion efficiency and purity of low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides.
It increases the content of low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides, reduces production costs, simplifies the process, and improves production efficiency and product taste uniformity.
Smart Images
Figure CN224467804U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of steviol glycoside preparation technology, specifically to a production apparatus for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides. Background Technology
[0002] Steviosides are natural high-intensity sweeteners, with a sweetness 200-300 times that of sucrose. They are also virtually unaffected by human metabolism and are widely used in sugar-free foods, beverages, and special dietary foods. To improve the inherent bitterness and astringency of steviol glycosides, an enzymatic glucosylation reaction is often used industrially to graft glucose groups onto the steviol glycoside molecule, forming glucosyl steviol glycosides.
[0003] Existing production technologies suffer from the following main problems: The glucosylation reaction generates a mixture with varying graft numbers. Traditional processes rely on chromatographic separation, requiring multi-stage analytical tanks and drying equipment, resulting in a lengthy and energy-intensive process. For example, existing devices require separate collection and drying of different eluates, leading to equipment redundancy and insufficient purity of the low-grafted products after separation, affecting the uniformity of taste. Enzymatic catalysis requires strict control of pH and temperature, but existing reaction tanks often rely on single sensors and manual adjustments, easily leading to pH fluctuations or localized overheating, reducing enzyme activity and conversion rate. Furthermore, the single-stage addition of enzyme solution results in excessive waste and increased costs.
[0004] In recent years, various measures have been taken to address the above-mentioned problems, but shortcomings still exist. For example, the design of multi-stage series reaction vessels; while this method can improve enzyme utilization, the equipment is bulky and does not address the need for refined separation of subsequent products, resulting in low content of low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides in the produced product. Therefore, how to increase the content of low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides in the product and reduce production costs is a problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content
[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide a production device for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides, which improves the conversion efficiency of raw materials to low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides through enzyme catalysis and cleavage, and increases the content of low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides in the product through subsequent purification processes. The device adopts membrane purification technology to achieve efficient purification and concentration in one step, replacing the traditional more complex, energy-intensive or solvent-residual methods, and reducing production costs.
[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of this utility model is as follows:
[0007] A production apparatus for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides includes a reaction unit, a pyrolysis unit, a cooling unit, a membrane purification unit, and a drying unit.
[0008] The reaction unit includes an enzyme reaction vessel and an enzyme solution storage tank, a steviol glycoside solution storage tank, and a β-cyclodextrin solution storage tank connected to the enzyme reaction vessel;
[0009] The lysis unit includes a lysis vessel connected to an enzyme reaction vessel;
[0010] The cooling unit includes a cooling tank connected to the pyrolysis tank and a plate and frame filter.
[0011] The membrane purification unit includes a membrane concentration tank connected to a lysis tank. The membrane concentration tank is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by a polyamide membrane. The upper chamber is connected to a purified water storage tank.
[0012] The drying unit includes a spray dryer connected to the lower cavity and a product storage tank connected to the spray dryer.
[0013] Preferably, the enzyme reaction vessel is equipped with a pH sensor and a temperature sensor.
[0014] Preferably, the enzyme reaction vessel is also connected to a pH adjustment vessel, and an electric valve is provided on the connecting pipe between the enzyme reaction vessel and the pH adjustment vessel. The electric valve is interlocked with the pH sensor.
[0015] Preferably, the enzyme reaction vessel is provided with a first stirring device, which includes a first stirring shaft disposed inside the enzyme reaction vessel and a plurality of first stirring blades disposed on the first stirring shaft in a non-parallel manner. The first stirring shaft is connected to a first stirring motor disposed at the top of the enzyme reaction vessel.
[0016] Preferably, the cooling tank is provided with a jacket on the outside, and the inner wall of the jacket is provided with multiple baffles.
[0017] Preferably, the cooling tank is provided with a second stirring device, which includes a second stirring shaft disposed in the cooling tank and a second stirring blade disposed on the second stirring shaft. The second stirring shaft is connected to a second stirring motor disposed at the top of the cooling tank.
[0018] Preferably, the bottom of the second stirring shaft is fitted with an air distribution plate, which has multiple air outlets. The air distribution plate is fixed to the lower part of the cooling tank by a fixing bracket, and the air distribution plate is connected to a cold air storage tank.
[0019] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of this utility model are:
[0020] This invention provides a production apparatus for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides, comprising a reaction unit, a lysis unit, a cooling unit, a membrane purification unit, and a drying unit. The reaction unit includes an enzyme reaction vessel and enzyme solution storage tanks, steviol glycoside solution storage tanks, and β-cyclodextrin solution storage tanks connected to the enzyme reaction vessel. The lysis unit includes a lysis vessel connected to the enzyme reaction vessel. The cooling unit includes a cooling tank connected to the lysis vessel. The membrane purification unit includes a membrane concentration tank connected to the lysis vessel, which is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by a polyamide membrane; the upper chamber is connected to a purified water storage tank. The drying unit includes a spray dryer connected to the lower chamber and a product storage tank connected to the spray dryer. This apparatus improves production efficiency and increases the content of low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides in the product through the integrated processes of enzyme catalysis, lysis, cooling, membrane purification, and drying.
[0021] This device includes a pH sensor and a temperature sensor inside the enzyme reaction vessel. The enzyme reaction vessel is also connected to a pH adjustment vessel, and the connecting pipe between the enzyme reaction vessel and the pH adjustment vessel is equipped with an electric valve, which is interlocked with the pH sensor. This setup effectively monitors the pH and temperature during the enzyme reaction process, ensuring the smooth progress of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction and improving the yield and selectivity of the main product.
[0022] The enzyme reaction vessel of this device is equipped with a first stirring device, which includes a first stirring shaft located inside the enzyme reaction vessel and multiple first stirring blades arranged non-parallel on the first stirring shaft. The first stirring shaft is connected to a first stirring motor located at the top of the enzyme reaction vessel. The first stirring device uses multiple non-parallel first stirring blades, which can better improve the mixing efficiency of materials in the enzyme reaction vessel, making the reaction more uniform and complete.
[0023] The device features a jacket on the outside of the cooling tank, with multiple baffles on the inner wall of the jacket. A second stirring device is installed inside the cooling tank, comprising a second stirring shaft and second stirring blades mounted on the shaft. The second stirring shaft is connected to a second stirring motor located at the top of the cooling tank. The baffles within the cooling tank jacket disrupt the laminar flow of the cooling medium, increasing turbulence and significantly improving the heat exchange efficiency between the jacket and the material inside the tank, thus shortening the cooling time. Furthermore, the second stirring device within the cooling tank ensures uniform cooling of the material during the cooling process, preventing localized overheating or underheating.
[0024] The bottom of the second stirring shaft of this device is fitted with an air distribution plate, which has multiple air outlets. The air distribution plate is fixed to the lower part of the cooling tank by a fixing bracket and is connected to a cold air storage tank. The air distribution plate, together with the cold air storage tank, can evenly distribute cold air from the bottom of the tank into the material, greatly improving the cooling rate. Moreover, the bubbling and rising of the cold air, together with the second stirring device, can effectively break up any material agglomerates or clumps that may form, ensuring the uniformity of material dispersion. Attached Figure Description
[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 1 of this utility model;
[0027] In the diagram, 1. Enzyme reaction vessel; 2. Enzyme solution storage tank; 3. Stevioside solution storage tank; 4. β-cyclodextrin solution storage tank; 5. pH sensor; 6. Temperature sensor; 7. pH adjustment tank; 8. Electric valve; 9. First stirring shaft; 10. First stirring blade; 11. First stirring motor; 12. Pyrolysis vessel; 13. Cooling tank; 14. Jacket; 15. Baffle plate; 16. Second stirring shaft; 17. Second stirring blade; 18. Second stirring motor; 19. Membrane concentration tank; 20. Polyamide membrane; 21. Upper chamber; 22. Lower chamber; 23. Purified water storage tank; 24. Spray dryer; 25. Product storage tank; 26. Gas distribution plate; 27. Gas outlet; 28. Fixing frame; 29. Cold air storage tank; 30. Plate and frame filter. Detailed Implementation
[0028] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present utility model.
[0029] Example 1
[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, a production apparatus for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides includes a reaction unit, a pyrolysis unit, a cooling unit, a membrane purification unit, and a drying unit. This apparatus significantly improves production efficiency and product quality through the synergistic design of the integrated reaction, pyrolysis, cooling, membrane purification, and drying units.
[0031] The reaction unit includes an enzyme reaction vessel 1 and an enzyme solution storage tank 2, a steviol glycoside solution storage tank 3, and a β-cyclodextrin solution storage tank 4 connected to the enzyme reaction vessel 1. The enzyme reaction vessel 1 is equipped with a pH sensor 5 and a temperature sensor 6. The enzyme reaction vessel 1 is also connected to a pH adjustment tank 7. An electric valve 8 is installed on the connecting pipe between the enzyme reaction vessel 1 and the pH adjustment tank 7, and the electric valve 8 is interlocked with the pH sensor 5. The enzyme reaction vessel 1 is equipped with a first stirring device, which includes a first stirring shaft 9 located inside the enzyme reaction vessel 1 and multiple non-parallel first stirring blades 10 arranged on the first stirring shaft 9. The first stirring shaft 9 is connected to a first stirring motor 11 located at the top of the enzyme reaction vessel 1. The interlocking arrangement of the pH sensor 5 and the electric valve 8 in the reaction unit of this device ensures a stable reaction environment, improving enzyme activity and reaction efficiency. The temperature sensor 6 ensures that the enzyme reaction proceeds at a suitable temperature, preventing inactivation. The first stirring device uses multiple stirring blades arranged in a non-parallel manner to enhance the turbulence of the reaction liquid, promote full contact between steviol glycosides, β-cyclodextrin and enzymes, and improve reaction efficiency.
[0032] The pyrolysis unit includes a pyrolysis vessel 12 connected to the enzyme reaction vessel 1. Under certain conditions, it decomposes macromolecular byproducts and increases the content and yield of low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides.
[0033] The cooling unit includes a cooling tank 13 connected to the pyrolysis tank 12 and a plate and frame filter 30. The cooling tank 13 has a jacket 14 on its outer side, and multiple baffles 15 on the inner wall of the jacket 14. A second stirring device is installed inside the cooling tank 13, comprising a second stirring shaft 16 inside the cooling tank 13 and second stirring blades 17 mounted on the second stirring shaft 16. The second stirring shaft 16 is connected to a second stirring motor 18 located at the top of the cooling tank 13. The cooling tank 13 achieves rapid cooling through the design of the jacket 14 and baffles 15, preventing product degradation due to high temperatures. The second stirring device further accelerates the cooling process.
[0034] The membrane purification unit includes a membrane concentration tank 19 connected to the pyrolysis tank 12. The membrane concentration tank 19 is divided into an upper chamber 21 and a lower chamber 22 by a polyamide membrane 20. The upper chamber 21 is connected to the purified water storage tank 23. By selectively retaining macromolecular impurities and retaining low-grafted products in the lower chamber 22, membrane purification treatment can reduce wastewater discharge and lower wastewater treatment costs compared to traditional resin adsorption methods.
[0035] The drying unit includes a spray dryer 24 connected to the lower cavity 22 and a product storage tank 25 connected to the spray dryer 24.
[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a gas distribution plate 26 is fitted onto the bottom of the second stirring shaft 16. The gas distribution plate 26 has multiple air outlets 27. The gas distribution plate 26 is fixed to the lower part of the cooling tank 13 by a fixing bracket 28. The gas distribution plate 26 is connected to a cold air storage tank 29. Cold air is introduced into the cooling tank 13 through the gas distribution plate 26, further improving the cooling efficiency of the material.
[0037] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A production apparatus for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides, characterized in that: It includes a reaction unit, a pyrolysis unit, a cooling unit, a membrane purification unit, and a drying unit; The reaction unit includes an enzyme reaction vessel and an enzyme solution storage tank, a steviol glycoside solution storage tank, and a β-cyclodextrin solution storage tank connected to the enzyme reaction vessel; The lysis unit includes a lysis vessel connected to an enzyme reaction vessel; The cooling unit includes a cooling tank connected to the pyrolysis tank and a plate and frame filter. The membrane purification unit includes a membrane concentration tank connected to a lysis tank. The membrane concentration tank is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by a polyamide membrane. The upper chamber is connected to a purified water storage tank. The drying unit includes a spray dryer connected to the lower cavity and a product storage tank connected to the spray dryer.
2. The production apparatus for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides according to claim 1, characterized in that: The enzyme reaction vessel is equipped with a pH sensor and a temperature sensor.
3. The production apparatus for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides according to claim 2, characterized in that: The enzyme reaction vessel is also connected to a pH adjustment vessel. An electric valve is installed on the connecting pipe between the enzyme reaction vessel and the pH adjustment vessel. The electric valve is interlocked with the pH sensor.
4. The production apparatus for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides according to claim 1, characterized in that: The enzyme reaction vessel is equipped with a first stirring device, which includes a first stirring shaft inside the enzyme reaction vessel and a plurality of first stirring blades arranged non-parallel on the first stirring shaft. The first stirring shaft is connected to a first stirring motor located at the top of the enzyme reaction vessel.
5. The production apparatus for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling tank is provided with a jacket on the outside, and multiple baffles are provided on the inner wall of the jacket.
6. The production apparatus for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling tank is equipped with a second stirring device, which includes a second stirring shaft inside the cooling tank and a second stirring blade on the second stirring shaft. The second stirring shaft is connected to a second stirring motor located at the top of the cooling tank.
7. The production apparatus for preparing low-grafted glucosyl steviol glycosides according to claim 6, characterized in that: The bottom of the second stirring shaft is fitted with an air distribution plate, which has multiple air outlets. The air distribution plate is fixed to the lower part of the cooling tank by a fixing bracket, and the air distribution plate is connected to a cold air storage tank.