Sorbose production

Sefcovicova, J., A. Vikartovska, V. Patoprsty et al. 2009. Off-line FIA monitoring of D-sorbitol consumption during L-sorbose production using a sorbitol biosensor. Anal. Chim. Acta 644 68-71. 

Most current industrial vitamin C production is based on the efficient second synthesis developed by Reichstein and Grbssner in 1934 (15). Various attempts to develop a superior, more economical L-ascorbic acid process have been reported since 1934. These approaches, which have met with htde success, ate summarized in Crawford s comprehensive review (46). Currently, all chemical syntheses of vitamin C involve modifications of the Reichstein and Grbssner approach (Fig. 5). In the first step, D-glucose (4) is catalytically (Ni-catalyst) hydrogenated to D-sorbitol (20). Oxidation to L-sotbose (21) occurs microhiologicaRy with The isolated L-sotbose is reacted with acetone and sulfuric acid to yield 2,3 4,6 diacetone-L-sorbose,... 

A Chinese pubHcation (47) with 17 references reviews the use of genetically engineered microorganisms for the production of L-ascorbic acid and its precursor, 2-KGA (49). For example, a 2-keto-L-gulonic acid fermentation process from sorbose has been pubUshed with reported yields over 80% (50). 

Reichsteia and Grbssner s second L-ascorbic acid synthesis became the basis for the iadustrial vitamin C production. Many chemical and technical modifications have improved the efficiency of each step, enabling this multistep synthesis to remain the principal, most economical process up to the present (ca 1997) (46). L-Ascorbic acid is produced ia large, iategrated, automated faciUties, involving both continuous and batch operations. The process steps are outlined ia Figure 7. Procedures require ca 1.7-kg L-sorbose/kg of L-ascorbic acid with ca 66% overall yield ia 1977 (55). Siace 1977, further continuous improvement of each vitamin C production step has taken place. Today s overall ascorbic acid yield from L-sorbose is ca 75%. In the mid-1930s, the overall yield from L-sorbose was ca 30%. 

Sterile aqueous D-sorbitol solutions are fermented with y cetobacter subo >gichns in the presence of large amounts of air to complete the microbiological oxidation. The L-sorbose is isolated by crystallisation, filtration, and drying. Various methods for the fermentation of D-sorbitol have been reviewed (60). A.cetobacter suboyydans is the organism of choice as it gives L-sorbose in >90% yield (61). Large-scale fermentations can be carried out in either batch or continuous modes. In either case, stefihty is important to prevent contamination, with subsequent loss of product. 

Treatment of L-sorbose with anhydrous HF80 gave rise to an analogous mixture of products a-L-Sorp-1,2 2,l - 3-L-Sorp (12), (3-L-Sor/ l,2 2,l -a-L-Sorp (13), a-L-Sorf-1,2 2,l -a-L-Sorp, a-L-Sorp-1,2 2,l -a-L-Sorp, ct-L-Soif-... 

When D-fructose and L-sorbose are refluxed with aqueous HC1, dihexulose dianhydrides are formed.91 If the water is replaced by N./V-dimethylformamide, substantially increased yields are obtained and 1,2-linked disaccharides are detected. Higher yields of dianhydrides were obtained from fructose, rather than sorbose, under comparable conditions. Treatment of levan with dilute H2S04 at 60°C yielded92 a-D-Fru/-l,2 2,1 -fi-D-Fru/(5). Presumably, any products that contain 2,6-linkages with large central rings would rapidly isomerize to the more stable 1,2-linked product. 

An alternative approach to increase the oxidation rate is the use of alkaline solutions, because bases enhance the reactivity of L-sorbose and weaken the adsorption strength of 2-KLG. Unfortunately, the rate enhancement at higher pH is accompanied by a drop in selectivity due to the poor stability of 2-KLG in alkaline solutions. To circumvent this problem, we have modified the platinum catalysts by adsorbed tertiary amines and carried out the oxidation in neutral aqueous solution [57], This allowed to enhance the rate without increasing the pH of the bulk liquid, which leads to detrimental product decomposition. Small quantities of amines (molar ratio of amine sorbose = 1 1700, and amine Pts = 0.1) are sufficient for modification. Using amines of pKa a 10 for modification, resulted in a considerable rate enhancement (up to a factor of 4.6) with only a moderate loss of selectivity to 2-KLG. The rate enhancement caused by the adsorbed amines is mainly determined by their basicity (pKa). In contrast, the selectivity of the oxidation was found to depend strongly on the structure of the amine. 

Some examples will illustrate the applicability of this generalization in so far as it concerns alkaline scission. 5,6-Anhydro-l,2-isopropylidene-D-glucofuranose with alcoholic sodium hydroxide gives a mixture of isopropylidene-D-glucose and isopropylidene-L-idose. The latter results from inversion on C5, the former presumably by inversion on the non-asymmetric C6.7 3,4-Anhydro-l,2-isopropylidene-D-psicose (or allu-lose17) (XX) when treated with sodium hydroxide yields a mixture of products among which 1,2-isopropylidene-D-fructose (XIX) was detected (in the representations inversions are denoted by circles above the arrows and the carbons inverted are noted below the arrows). With sodium methoxide, however, l,2-isopropylidene-4-methyl-D-sorbose (XXI) is the chief product and results from inversion on C4.1S... 

Not able to reproduce a previously reported approach [30] to (5) from D-galactose, Tyler and co-workers designed an efficient sequence starting from L-sorbose [46], via a partially protected 6-azido-6-deoxy-L-tagatose derivative, and obtained an overall yield of 20%. Ogawa and co-workers [47] prepared D-galactonojirimycin as well as 1-deoxygalactonojirimycin from L-quebrachitol (11), a natural product found in the serum of the rubber tree. 

Dideoxy-2,5-imino-D-mannitol (26), a nattural product found in Derris elip-tica as well as Lonchocarpus sp. [126], was obtained from L-sorbose via 5-azido-5-deoxy-D-ffuctopyranose (82) by Card and Hitz [127] and characterized as a very potent inhibitor of /3-D-fructofuranosidase (invertase). 

Oxidation of secondary or primary alcohols by dehydrogenases is usually not performed biocatalytically. The reaction destroys a stereocentre, it is thermodynamically not favoured and product inhibition is a problem. It is attractive only in cases where it is necessary to discern between several hydroxy groups in a molecule. Microbial oxidation of D-glucitol to yield L-sorbose is the key step in production of vitamin C (Reichstein and Griissner, 1934). 

Commercially available ascorbic acid still includes isolation from natural sources, such as rose hips, but large-scale production will involve the microbiological approach, i.e., Acetobacter suboxidans oxidative fermentation of calcium d-gluconate or the chemical approach, i.e.. the oxidation of /-sorbose. 

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