Browsing by Author "Shedlock, Matthew"
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- ItemTechno-economics of industrial scale beta-ß-D-fructofuranosidase and short-chain fructooligosaccharides production(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-04) Shedlock, Matthew; Gorgens, Johann F.; Dirkse Van Schalkwyk, T.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Enzymes are proteins which act as biological catalysts to enhance the rate of biochemical reactions. They function by reducing the activation energy of the reaction. There is currently no company that manufactures enzymes on an industrial scale in South Africa. A substance known as short-chain fructooligosaccharide (scFOS) is a product that has been growing in popularity on the prebiotics market. ScFOS is produced with an enzyme called ß -D-fructofuranosidase (FFase) and sucrose. FFase is a speciality enzyme which is specifically manufactured for scFOS production. FFase can be produced with the choice of two different recombinant yeast-based production systems, where both were compared in this study. Regarding sucrose sugar supply, South Africa’s sugar industry has export sugar that would be more beneficial to supply locally because of unattractive international sugar prices, where raw sugar is essentially sold at a loss. This makes for a good opportunity to produce scFOS. In this study, an economic model was developed as a tool to determine the economic feasibility of producing FFase and scFOS on a commercial scale locally. The model considered different production scales in order to meet differences in market demand. The facility focused on the production of FFase and scFOS. Scenarios were investigated where FFase is: (i) manufactured within the same plant as scFOS production, (ii) manufactured in a separate facility and bought in by the scFOS production facility, and (iii) manufactured in a toll manufacturing facility and supplied to a scFOS production facility. When comparing the two production strains to produce FFase, alcohol oxidase (AOX) was found to be more effective than glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAP). The simulation results incorporating Monte Carlo analysis revealed that FFase should be sold as a product within a multi-product enzyme facility and not as a facility on its own because the demand for this enzyme alone is too low and will therefore not provide enough sales to sustain the business. To achieve the desired internal rate of return on investment (minimum of 30%) scFOS could be produced on an appreciable scale in South Africa at a minimum of 2 000 tonnes per annum irrespective of the scenario. For an scFOS production facility to be successful, it is recommended that FFase and scFOS are produced in the same facility.