功能性靜電紡絲纖維薄膜應用於羅漢果皂苷甜味劑之轉化

零卡甜味劑為目前全球最大使用量之食品添加物。然而隨健康意識抬頭與對人工甜味劑負面的研究結果，使得近年市場成長速度最快的零卡天然甜味劑需求大增，其中來自植物萃取的羅漢果皂苷成長最為顯著。羅漢果皂苷除了為目前天然甜味劑中甜度最高的甜味劑之外，部分具甜味的皂苷單體也具顯著抗糖尿病活性，展現高度市場潛力；然其皂苷萃取物內風味最接近蔗糖且甜度最高之羅漢果皂苷Saimenoside I（S I）單體在羅漢果中含量稀少，是目前全球專利與生物科技研究努力增加含量的目標。另外，皂苷萃取物之醣基修飾有助於苦味及風味之改善，也是目前保健食品與相關飲品開發中符合消費者嗜好性需求所努力研發的方向。本文提出透過目前能發揮高度酵素穩定性及活性的靜電紡絲酵素奈米纖維膜製程技術，用以進行特定形式的酵素固定化，配合專一性酵素與連續式薄膜填充管柱酵素反應裝置，一方面對羅漢果萃取物中的主要皂苷形式進行轉換，用以產生S I單體為主並改善羅漢果甜味劑風味；另一方面提高羅漢果皂苷萃取物於甜味劑與保健食品的應用性，提昇酵素於實際生產時的經濟效應。 Non-caloric artificial sweeteners (NAS) are currently the world's most widely used food additives. But recent research shows that there are still controversies. As a result, natural sweeteners had gained much attention than NAS. Recently, the fastest growing market of natural sweetener is the sweeteners made from monk fruit, not only because its extracts are highest in sweetness among various natural sweeteners but also parts of the sweetness compounds have significant anti-diabetic activity. However, one of the components in monk fruit extracts called Siamenoside I (S I), which found to be the most sweetness compound and taste most closely to sucrose, are relatively low in contents. As the results, the development of methods to enrich the contents of S I in monk fruit extracts and related products are the goals for the current natural sweetener manufacturers. The bitter tastes and flavors of saponins-containing functional foods and related beverages are still the issues to be addressed. Here, we proposed to take the advantage of the electrospun nanofiber membrane's high enzyme immobilizing efficiency and stabilizing properties, together with the continuous packed-bed column, to obtain S I from MG V. These not only improve the taste of monk fruit extracts as natural sweeteners but also help to gain access of pure S I compound. Accordingly, we proposed a method to improve the saponins usages as a natural sweetener and as a health food ingredient through enzymes immobilized on electrospun nanofiber mat.