Production of fructooligosaccharides from sucrose by a transfructosylase from Aspergillus niger.

A strain of Aspergillus niger isolated from sugarcane fields, produced an extracellular transfructosylase in the culture medium. Sucrose and raffinose induced the production to the enzyme, which was purified by 138-fold. The optimum pH for activity and stability were 5.5 and 6.5, respectively. Its optimum temperature was 55°C. The enzyme hydrolysed sucrose rapidly and simultaneously formed fructooligosaccharides by transfructosylation.