Guiding the selectivity of commercial glycosidase preparation towards the production of rutinose

Aromase™ H2 is an enzymatic cocktail marketed to intensify the aroma, promote clarity and overall flavor of tea by releasing aromatic compounds and antioxidants that are naturally glycosylated. The hydrolysis of a wide range of glycoconjugates is the key to its action, which can arise from the substrate promiscuity of the main diglycosidase or other enzymes that are in the mixture. The characterization focusing on the activity toward flavonoids at different pH values allowed to increase the cocktail ratio of diglycosidase to α-rhamnosidase activity. In that way, the free disaccharide rutinose was selectively obtained in a laboratory scale reactor with 90 % conversion after 3.5 h reaction at pH 8. Purification was carried out by liquid-liquid extraction, recovering the aglycone hesperetin. Subsequent extraction with activated carbon allowed a recovery of 84 % of the rutinose. This work demonstrates the practical application of a commercial cocktail for the selective hydrolysis of rutinosylated compounds.