Invertase is an
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecule ...
that
catalyzes
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
the
hydrolysis
Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile.
Biological hydrolysis ...
(breakdown) of
sucrose (table sugar) into
fructose and
glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, usi ...
. Alternative names for invertase include , saccharase, glucosucrase, beta-h-fructosidase, beta-fructosidase, invertin,
sucrase, maxinvert L 1000, fructosylinvertase, alkaline invertase, acid invertase, and the systematic name: beta-fructofuranosidase. The resulting mixture of fructose and glucose is called
inverted sugar syrup
Inverted sugar syrup, also called invert syrup, invert sugar, simple syrup, sugar syrup, sugar water, bar syrup, syrup USP, or sucrose inversion, is a syrup mixture of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose, that is made by hydrolytic ...
. Related to invertases are sucrases. Invertases and
sucrases hydrolyze sucrose to give the same mixture of glucose and fructose. Invertase is a glycoprotein that hydrolyses (cleaves) the non-reducing terminal beta-fructofuranoside residues. Thus, its systematic name is beta-fructofuranosidase.
Invertases cleave the O-C(fructose) bond, whereas the sucrases cleave the O-C(glucose) bond.
Invertase cleaves the alpha-1,2-glycosidic bond of sucrose.
For industrial use, invertase is usually derived from
yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to consti ...
. It is also synthesized by bees, which use it to make
honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
from nectar. Optimal temperature at which the rate of reaction is at its greatest is 60 °C and an optimum
pH of 4.5. Typically, sugar is inverted with
sulfuric acid.
[
]
Production
Invertase is produced by various organisms like yeast, fungi, bacteria, higher plants, and animals. For example: S. cerevisiae, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis
''Saccharomyces pastorianus'' is a yeast used industrially for the production of lager beer, and was named in honour of Louis Pasteur by the German Max Reess in 1870. This yeast's complicated genome appears to be the result of hybridisation be ...
, S. pombe, Aspergillus spps, Penicillium chrysogenum, Azotobacter spps, Lactobacillus spps, Pseudomonas spps etc.
For industrial use, invertase is usually derived from yeast.
Applications and examples
Invertase is used to produce inverted sugar syrup
Inverted sugar syrup, also called invert syrup, invert sugar, simple syrup, sugar syrup, sugar water, bar syrup, syrup USP, or sucrose inversion, is a syrup mixture of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose, that is made by hydrolytic ...
.
Invertase is expensive, so it may be preferable to make fructose from glucose using glucose isomerase
In enzymology, a xylose isomerase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of
D-xylose and D-xylulose. This enzyme belongs to the family of isomerases, specifically those intramolecular oxidoreductases interconverting aldoses and ketose ...
, instead.
Chocolate-covered cherries, other cordials, and fondant candies include invertase, which liquefies the sugar. Once the candy is manufactured, it needs at least a few days to a few weeks in storage so the invertase has time to break down the sucrose.
Invertase enzyme is also used in ethanol production, cosmetics, drugs etc. and also in the food industry.
Inhibition
Urea acts as a non-competitive inhibitor of invertase, presumably by breaking the intramolecular hydrogen bonds contributing to the tertiary structure
Protein tertiary structure is the three dimensional shape of a protein. The tertiary structure will have a single polypeptide chain "backbone" with one or more protein secondary structures, the protein domains. Amino acid side chains may int ...
of the enzyme.
See also
* List of enzymes
References
External links
*
{{Portal bar, Biology, border=no
EC 3.2.1
Food additives
E-number additives