Ésteres de açúcar: síntese, propriedades e aplicabilidade na indústria de alimentos

Abstract

Sugar esters are non-ionic surfactants produced from renewable raw materials, such as carbohydrate and fatty acid. Its synthesis can occur by chemical or enzymatic pathway. Due to their physico-chemical properties, sugar esters can form and stabilize oil-in-water emulsions, such as bread, ice cream and sauce, and water-in-oil emulsions, such as chocolate and margarine. In addition, they are able to act as a non-caloric fat substitute and in the manufacture of food-grade colloidal distribution systems. In the food industry, the interest in their production and use is also due to the fact that they are biodegradable, non-toxic, odorless and tasteless, in addition to presenting advantageous biological properties to food. Furthermore, sugar esters have similar, and sometimes better, properties compared to surfactants derived from petrochemicals. Thus, taking into account the growth in the interest of sugar esters as a safer and more ecological surfactant alternative, the present review aimed to address chemical and enzymatic synthesis, its advantages, disadvantages and main advances, as well as the properties and applications of sugar esters in the food industry. To this end, a narrative review was developed in which the analysis of the literature exposed in the form of published scientific articles was used, preferably in the last 10 years, in national and international journals obtained from databases such as Science Direct, National Center for Biotechnology Information , Scientific Electronic Library Online, Google Scholar and Capes Journal Portal. Also, the patents developed for the purpose of producing and applying sugar esters in specific food products were investigated, as well as a survey of government guidelines established by the National Health Surveillance Agency, European Food Safety Authority, Codex Alimentarius, Food and Drug Administration and World Health Organization. Thus, topics were developed exploring important aspects of sugar esters, such as their chemical synthesis, with and without solvent, and enzymatic synthesis with the use of the enzyme lipase in reaction media containing organic solvent or green solvents, such as ionic liquids, carbon supercritical and deep eutectic solvents, as well as enzymatic synthesis associated with the use of molecular sieves. In addition, the physical and chemical properties were addressed, such as the wide range of hydrophilic-lipophilic balance values and the ability to form and stabilize emulsions, foams and micelles, and the biological, antimicrobial and anti-tumor properties, presented by the sugar esters. Finally, the role of sugar esters in the food industry was investigated in order to produce breads, chocolates, ice cream, sauces, mayonnaise and their applications as a fat substitute and in colloidal distribution systems (microemulsions and nanoemulsions). Due to their nature and their physical-chemical and biological properties, sugar esters are an attractive alternative for industrial use, compared to conventional surfactants derived from petroleum-based raw materials. In addition, sugar esters synthesized from enzymatic esterification in reaction media containing green solvents result in food products that are beneficial to human health and environmentally sustainable.