Green Purification of Invertase from Ultrasonicated Sifted Baker’s Yeast by Membrane Filtration: A Comparative Study

This study aimed to produce invertase with characteristics comparable to commercial formulations using a low-cost raw material, employing environmentally friendly extraction and refinement methods. Sifted yeast, the residual baker's yeast in industrial production, was used as raw material, and invertase in the yeast cell was extracted by ultrasonication and purified by micro- and ultra-filtration (MF and UF) methods. Subjecting the crude enzyme extract to MF followed by UF resulted in increased activity and specific activity. Through this process, the enzyme activity increased from 153 IU/mL to 691 IU/mL. The purified enzyme was lyophilized and the production of invertase at the laboratory scale was accomplished. The obtained enzyme was found to be stable at pH 5 and within the temperature range of 30-40 °C. It retained its activity for 60 days at -18 °C, whereas a 20% loss in activity was observed at +4 °C over the same period. As a result, it was demonstrated that invertase enzyme can be produced from a low-cost raw material which is considered as waste in the industry. To pass to the commercial production stage, processing of higher amounts of raw material by preventing foaming and heating problems in ultrasonication and scale-up studies testing the permeability properties of different membrane systems at a pilot-scale are necessary.