INVERTASE

Invertase helps adjust sweetness and fermentation profiles in jams, syrups, wine, and alcohol production.
Invertase is used to prepare glucose/fructose solutions for metabolic studies and nutritional formulations.
Invertase is employed in enzymatic synthesis of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and transfer reactions like fructosylation.

CAS Number: 9001‑57‑4 
EC Number: 3.2.1.26 
Molecular Formula: Not applicable (protein/glycoprotein enzyme)
Molecular Weight: ~1270 kDa (yeast-derived)

SYNONYMS:
invertase, saccharase, glucosucrase, β‑fructosidase, invertin, fructosylinvertase, acid invertase, alkaline invertase, sucrase, EC 3.2.1.26, saccharase, glucosucrase, beta-h-fructosidase, beta-fructosidase, invertin, sucrase, maxinvert L 1000, fructosylinvertase, alkaline invertase, acid invertase, beta-fructofuranosidase, β-fructofuranosidase, Saccharase, Sucrase, Sucrose hydrolase, Yeast invertase, Fructosidase, EC 3.2.1.26, Invertin

Invertase is an enzyme.
When added to sucrose (table sugar) or foods that include sucrose, invertase splits the sugar into its component parts of glucose and fructose.
Invertase is commonly called "invert sugar" or "inverted sugar syrup."

Inverted sugar is frequently used in commercial baking and candy recipes because it keeps baked goods moist for longer periods of time.
Chemists during the 1800s were studying the effect of yeast on sugar and realized that before the sugar began fermenting, it changed form.
After much research, the chemists isolated the enzyme that caused this: invertase.

By the year 1900, the process for deriving invertase from yeast was commonly used.
Over the course of the next 20 plus years, chemists found many uses for invertase, most importantly in candy-making.
Invertase is one of the secret ingredients in the candy-making industry.

Invertase is an enzyme that is commonly used to make candy liquid centers, chocolate-covered cherries, fondant candies, creme eggs, and other cordials.
Invertase is usually derived from yeast, either from bread factories or beer breweries.

Invertase is sold either as a clear liquid or as a powder that can be dissolved in water.
Invertase is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis (breakdown) of the table sugar sucrose into fructose and glucose.
Sucrose is a fructoside.

Alternative names for β-fructofuranosidase EC 3.2.1.26 include invertase, saccharase, glucosucrase, β-fructosidase, invertin, fructosylinvertase, alkaline invertase, and acid invertase.
The resulting mixture of fructose and glucose is called inverted sugar syrup.

Related to invertases are sucrases.
Invertases and sucrases hydrolyze sucrose to give the same mixture of glucose and fructose.
Invertase is a glycoprotein that hydrolyses (cleaves) the non-reducing terminal β-fructofuranoside residues.

Invertases cleave the O-C(fructose) bond, whereas the sucrases cleave the O-C(glucose) bond.
Invertase cleaves the α-1,2-glycosidic bond of sucrose.
Invertase (EC 3.2.1.26), also known as β‑fructofuranosidase or saccharase, is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of sucrose into glucose and fructose, creating invert sugar.

Invertase’s a glycoprotein, commonly derived from yeast (e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae), fungi, plants, and bacteria.
Optimal activity typically occurs around 60 °C and pH 4.5.
For industrial use, invertase is usually derived from yeast.

Invertase is also synthesized by bees, which use it to make honey from nectar.
The temperature of Invertase optimum is 60 °C and a pH optimum is 4.5.
Sugar can be inverted by sulfuric acid but this is not suitable for food-grade products and enzymic hydrolysis is preferred.

Invertase is produced by various organisms such as yeast, fungi, bacteria, higher plants, and animals.
For example: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, S. pombe, Aspergillus spp, Penicillium chrysogenum, Azotobacter spp, Lactobacillus spp, Pseudomonas spp etc.

Invertase exhibits relatively high activity over a broad range of pH (3.5–4.5) with the optimum near pH 4.5.
Invertase activity reaches a maximum at 55 °C.
The Michaelis–Menten (Km) value for the free enzyme is typically around 30 mM.

Invertase is a glycoprotein, stable at 50 °C.
The cations Hg²⁺, Ag⁺, Ca²⁺, and Cu²⁺ exhibit marked inhibition of the enzyme.
Competitive inhibition was observed with the fructose analogue 2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol, suggesting inhibition by the furanose form of fructose.

Invertase dates back to the 1800s when chemists studying yeast effects on sugar realized that before fermentation, sugar changed form.
After research, Invertase causing this was isolated and named invertase.
By 1900, deriving invertase from yeast was commonly practiced.

Over the next 20 years, many uses for invertase were found, most notably in candy-making.
Invertase, when added to sugar candy recipes like fondant fillings, gradually liquefies the fondant.
This process produces liquid centers in candies such as cherry cordials.

The reaction takes several days, requiring a waiting period during preparation.
Invertase also makes fondant appear smoother.
Invertase is part of many natural processes.

Invertase helps bees transform nectar into honey.
Humans also have invertase in saliva.
The exact amount of invertase needed depends on strength, preparation, temperature, and recipe.

A general guideline is 1/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon per pound of fondant.
Invertase should be stored in the refrigerator for longevity.
Cold temperatures slow invertase activity.

Candies containing invertase should be stored at room temperature for best and fastest results.
Invertase catalyzes the hydrolysis of sucrose into fructose and glucose.
Invertase is an enzyme of the glycoside hydrolase family.

In the presence of water molecules, Invertase breaks down sucrose into glucose and fructose, known as "invert sugars," hence the enzyme's name.
Invertase is involved in digestion.
Invertase is released by cells in the mucous membrane of the small intestine.

Invertase promotes the digestion of carbohydrates.
Invertase hydrolyzes sucrose to produce inverted sugar syrup, a mixture of glucose and fructose.
Related enzymes called sucrases also hydrolyze sucrose but cleave a different bond.

Invertases cleave the O-C(fructose) bond, whereas sucrases cleave the O-C(glucose) bond.
Invertase is produced by microorganisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Invertase catalyzes sucrose conversion even in the presence of glucose and fructose.

Invertase, also called beta-fructofuranosidase cleaving the terminal non-reducing beta-fructofuranoside residues, is a glycoprotein with an optimum pH 4.5 and stability at 50 °C.
It is widely distributed in the biosphere especially in plants and microorganisms.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae commonly called baker’s yeast is the chief strain used for the production and purification of the enzyme.
Invertase in nature exists in different isoforms.
In yeasts, it is present either as extracellular Invertase or intracellular Invertase.

In plants, there are three isoforms each differing in biochemical properties and subcellular locations.
Invertase in plants is essential not only for metabolism but also helps in osmoregulation, development and defense system.
In humans, Invertase acts as an immune booster, as an antioxidant, an antiseptic and helpful for bone cancer or stomach cancer patients in some cases.

The present study focuses upon the Invertase along with its application and purification from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Invertase from baker’s yeast was purified by concentrating the crude extract with ammonium sulfate (70%), dialyzed using sample buffer (0.1 M Tris, pH 7.2) and followed by centrifugation.

The resultant supernatant was then applied on DEAE-cellulose column equilibrated with Tris buffer.
Invertase was eluted with a step gradient of NaCl (0–0.5 M) in starting buffer.
Fractions showing the highest activity were pooled.

The result contains the purification summary with the purification fold of 27.13 and recovery of 31.93%.
For a better understanding, the mechanism and structure of the purified enzyme characterization are essential.

USES and APPLICATIONS of INVERTASE:
When invertase is added to sugar candy recipes, like fondant candy fillings, it gradually liquefies the fondant.
This is one way of producing the liquid center in candies like cherry cordials.
The reaction takes a few days to occur, so there is a waiting period when making liquid centers with invertase.

This enzyme also makes fondant appear smoother.
Although it sounds like something made in a lab, invertase is a part of many different natural processes.
Besides bees, we actually have our own supply of invertase as part of our saliva.

Food Industry uses of Invertase: Invert sugar production—used in confectionery, chocolate-covered cherries, fondants—where invertase liquefies centers over days.
Beverage & Brewing: Invertase helps adjust sweetness and fermentation profiles in jams, syrups, wine, and alcohol production.

Diabetes Research & Nutrition: Invertase is used to prepare glucose/fructose solutions for metabolic studies and nutritional formulations.
Biotechnology & Biocatalysis: Invertase is employed in enzymatic synthesis of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and transfer reactions like fructosylation.

Invertase is used to produce inverted sugar syrup.
Invertase is expensive, so it may be preferable to make fructose from glucose using glucose isomerase, instead.
Chocolate-covered candies, other cordials, and fondant candies include invertase, which liquefies the sugar.

Inhibition: Urea acts as a pure non-competitive inhibitor of invertase, presumably by breaking the intramolecular hydrogen bonds contributing to the tertiary structure of the enzyme.
Invertase enzyme converts sucrose or table sugar to the inverted sugar solution.

This is used to prevent the crystallization of sugar and used to make sweet, gooey liquid centres and caramel fillings in candies and chocolates.
Some of these preparations include crème eggs, fondant candies, chocolates, and chewing gums which have a liquid and melt in the mouth.

Inverted sugar is also used to create chocolate-covered cherries and other cordials.
Inverted sugar is used in baking recipes to prevent sugar crystallization and keep baked goods soft and moist for a long time.
Invertase in chocolate ganache prevents and slows sugar crystallization, thus extending their shelf life.

Invertase is also used to soften a food product that needs to start a firm.
Chocolate-covered peppermint patties or truffles require a hardened sugar centre to enrobe or pan them in chocolate.
A hardened centre is necessary to maintain the structural integrity of the product.

It is required so Invertase can be processed, packaged, and shipped.
Invertase is added to the sugar centre, where it acts on the sucrose, inverting it and thus softening the centre during the warehousing and shipping procedure.

These products are stored under optimum temperature slowing the process.
When the products reach the end-user, they are consumed at room temperature with a soft and moist centre.
Sweets are often coated with inverted sugar for a glistening look and to avoid a white crystalline look of a sucrose solution.

-Use of Invertase Enzyme in Food Industry:
Due to the inversion process of sucrose/sugar, invertase enzymes are vital to the confectionery industry which uses sugar as one of the essential ingredients.
Given below are some of the uses of invertase enzymes.

-COMMERCIAL USES of Invertase:
Invertase is widely-used in confectionery production.
A well-known application of Invertase is in the production of soft-centred sweets, such as after-dinner mints.

Here, a solid paste with the consistency of fudge is made using sucrose (table sugar).
A small amount of invertase is added to this fondant before it is enrobed in chocolate.
During storage for a couple of weeks at 18 °C, the enzyme partially liquefies the sucrose within the chocolate shell.

A US government chemist, H.S. Paine, first suggested this method in 1924.
Modern machinery (that freezes the half-shell) allows syrupy centres to be added to pre-cast chocolate shells (such as fondant-filled chocolate eggs), removing the need for enzymatic treatment.

Another common use is making invert sugar syrups e.g., for beekeeping (feeding honeybees in the autumn or spring when nectar-bearing flowers are few and far between).

-EDUCATIONAL USES of Invertase:
Invertase was the enzyme used by Leonor Michaelis and Maud Menten in their pioneering studies of enzyme kinetics.
The best way to assay invertase activity is to use DNSA reagent and a colorimeter.