African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12495

Full Length Research Paper

A comparison of acidic and enzymatic hydrolysis of rutin

Jun Wang1, Lu-Lu Zhao1, Guo-Xia Sun1, Yao Liang1, Fu-An Wu1,2*, Zhong-li Chen3,4 and Shi-ming Cui3,4
  1School of Biotechnology and Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212018, People’s Republic of China. 2Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang 212018, People’s Republic of China. 3National Mulberry Silk Industrial Engineering Technology Research Center, Nantong 226600, People’s Republic of China. 4Xinyuan Cocoon Silk Group Co. Ltd., Nantong 226600, People’s Republic of China.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 18 January 2011
  •  Published: 21 February 2011

Abstract

 

Rutin and its hydrolysis products (isoquercitrin and quercetin) are widely used as important materials in food and pharmaceutical industry. In this study, the effects of various acids and enzymes as catalysts on the hydrolysis reaction of rutin were studied. In comparison with acidic and enzymatic catalysis of rutin, the research results indicated that there was a sharp difference in the selectivity of hydrolysis product between the methods. When 2.5% H3PO4, 1% HCl and 0.5% H2SO4 were used as catalysts, transformation yields of isoquercitin hydrolyzed from rutin were 9.60, 0.69 and 1.25%, but those of quercetin were 11.13, 100 and 2.57%, respectively. When hesperidinase, snailase and cellulase-T2440 were used as catalysts, transformation yields of isoquercitin hydrolyzed from rutin were 43.21, 3.07 and 0.00%, but those of quercetin were 58.10, 96.39 and 30.89%, respectively. In conclusion, the aglycon of rutin was deglycosolated easily under mild acidic hydrolysis conditions at appropriate temperatures, but its secondary glucoside was difficult to be obtained. Contrarily, the prepared isoquercitrin by enzymatic hydrolysis of rutin was preferable to the acidic hydrolysis, especially for hesperidinase.

 

Key words: Rutin, isoquercitrin, quercetin, hydrolysis, acid, enzyme.