HFS

t e ch n o l o g y

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Vogelbusch HFS Starch slurry

HFS, high fructose syrup, or HFCS, high fructose corn

HFS Plants syrup, is a nutritive sweetener with a wide range of appli-

cations. It is a major commodity product in various food
applications such as beverages, pickles, ketchup and dairy
-Amylase
Liquefaction
Steam
NaOH

products, and is one of the most widely-used nutritive

Vogelbusch is a major global
player in the engineering and
construction of industrial scale
biotechnology plants.
With up-to-date proprietary
technology for a wide range of
biotechnologies in conjunction
with state-of-the-art separation
techniques our plants are custom-
designed for each application
with focus on your product.
Our HFS plants meet all requi-
rements regarding quality, yields,
energy savings and economic
efficiency for todays HFS industry.
sweeteners in the soft drinks industry. The annual growth
Liquified starch
rate of the HFS market varied between 4 8 % over the
last two decades - a trend which is expected to continue,
at least in the near future. The main raw material for the
production of HFS is starch.
H2SO4
AMG Saccharification
During the 19th century, the first studies of starch-based
sweeteners were initiated to become independent of
sucrose made from sugar cane. However, glucose syrups
could not achieve a sweetness to equal that of sucrose.
There have been attempts to convert glucose to fructose Glucose
by a wet chemical method, but none of these processes
have been introduced in food industry due to the high
by-product and colour formation and low fructose con-
centration achieved. Subsequent research activities were Filtration Steam
aimed at establishing a enzyme-based process for con- Activated carbon treatment Filter aid

On the basis of a new techno- verting glucose to fructose. However, it still took until Ion exchange
Activated carbon
Evaporation #1
logy for enriching fructose by 1968 to establish a completely enzyme-based process for Vapour
condensate
means of chromatography, Vo- the production of HFS. Today, optimised enzymes combine
gelbusch offers an innovation optimum productivity and yields with low by-product-
for producing sweetener from formation.
Purified glucose syrup
starch. HFS is commercially available in three basic qualities. De-
Based on proprietary techno- pending on the specification it consists of approx. 42%
logy and wide-ranging know- wt. (HFS-42), 55% wt. (HFS-55) or 90% wt. (HFS-90) fructose
how acquired over 80 years in in dry substance. HFS-55 is the one used mostly in soft
the designing, erecting and drinks as it best mimics the sweetening properties of
Immobilised
sucrose. Isomerisation Na CO3
commissioning of biotechnolo- isomerase
MgSO4
gical plants on five continents, The most widely processed raw material for the manu- Isoglucose (42% fructose i.d.s.)
we have the ability to carry out facture of HFS is cornstarch (HFCS), but starch from other
all work associated with the con- sources (potatoes, wheat or tapioca) can also be used.
struction of a HFS plant begin-
ning with the first ideas through
to commissioning of your plant. Specifications
Typical services provided are: The final products produced with VOGELBUSCHs HFS Activated carbon treatment Steam
Site analysis; plants comply with the following basic specifications Ion exchange
Vapour
Evaporation #2
Feasibility studies; (DS = dry substance): condensate

Raw material testing; HFS-42

Total dry matter substance: 71 1 %
Basic engineering;
Fructose: > 42% of DS HFS 42
Detail engineering; Glucose: > 51% of DS
Isoglucose (42% fructose i.d.s.)

Project management; Higher sugars: < 8% of DS

Contracting; Ash: < 0.1% of DS
pH 3.0 4.5
Supervision of erection and Eluent
Enrichment
commissioning; HFS-55 &
Blending
Technical assistance Total dry matter substance: 77 1 % Raffinate

Fructose: > 55% of DS

Glucose: > 38% of DS
Higher sugars: < 5% of DS
55% Fructose i.d.s. 90% Fructose i.d.s.
Ash: < 0.1% of DS
pH 3.0 4.5

HFS-90
Total dry matter substance: 80 1 % Steam
Evaporation #3
Fructose: > 90% of DS Vapour
Glucose: > 6% of DS condensate
Higher sugars: < 2% of DS
Ash: < 0.1% of DS
pH 3.0 4.5
we make
The process can be adapted to meet specific customer
biotechnology requirements.
work HFS 55 HFS 90
Process description
Liquefaction
Liquefaction is carried out in a continuous
process step by adding heat stable -amylase
to 33% starch slurry in a mixed vessel after pH
adjustment. After passing a jet cooker with hol-
ding loop, the slurry flashes down to 90C into
an expansion vessel and hydrolyses in a stirred
vessel where proteins may be removed.
Saccharification
This process is intended to convert dextrins
to glucose as completely as possible with the
aid of amyloglucosidase (AMG). First both pH and
temperature are adjusted to obtain optimum
conditions for enzymatic conversion.
The process can be carried out as a batch pro-
cess or as a continuous process in a cascade of
stirred tanks. Both the residence time and pro-
cess conditions such as pH and temperature are
controlled to avoid by-product formation (e.g.
isomaltose or colour precursors), ensuring ex-
cellent quality of the end product.
After saccharification, a solution with a dex-
trose equivalent (DE) of approx. 96 98 is obtai-
ned.
Clarification #1
Any suspended or dissolved impurities con-
tained in the syrup are removed prior to its fur-
ther processing into isomerose. For this purpo-
se, the liquor is clarified and purified by
filtration
carbon treatment
ion exchange
In a first precoat filtration step, solid impurities
are removed by a vacuum drum filter.
Decolourisation is carried out by adding ac-
tivated carbon in a cascade of stirred vessels.
The activated carbon is removed by a second
precoat filtration in a multiple tube filter. Or, al-
SMB chromatography plant
ternatively, a membrane process can be used to
accomplish the decolourisation of the solution.
Cations and anions are removed by passing a
series of ion exchange columns filled with strong
acidic cation exchange and weak basic anion
exchange resins. Exhausted resins are regene-
rated with dilute hydrochloric acid (cation
exchanger) or caustic soda (anion exchanger) re-
spectively.
As a dry matter content of 42% represents
the optimum for isomerisation, the liquor is final-
ly concentrated in a vacuum evaporator before
entering the isomerisation stage. Standard de-
sign is a double effect falling film evaporator.
However, to meet the customers demands re-
garding investment and operation costs, the
evaporator can also be designed to have more
or less stages and with or without employing
thermal or mechanical vapour recompression.
Isomerisation
In order to increase sweetness of the starch
hydrolysate, parts of the glucose are converted
into fructose with the help of immobilised iso-
merase. The isomerisation process is carried out
in several parallel columns. The equilibrium for
the glucose/fructose isomerisation is approx.
51% fructose at 60C. Usually 42% fructose in
d.s. isoglucose is produced as this value
represents the optimum between yield and in-
vestment cost.
To guarantee maximum productivity of the
enzyme (i.e. the total amount of fructose pro-
duced during life time of the enzyme) both pro-
cess conditions and the properties of the feed
stream have to be adjusted carefully. Therefore
the feed is preheated to 60C and pH is adju-
sted by soda. Further magnesium ions are ad-
ded as activator and sulphite for stabilisation
and as oxygen scavenger.
As the activity of the enzymes decreases slo-
wly the flow to the several columns has to be
adjusted from time to time. After the activity of
a column has dropped below a minimum ac-
ceptable level, the column is discharged and fil-
led with new enzyme. A special filling system
prevents losses of enzyme activity during pre-
paration and filling.
Clarification #2
To ensure maximum lifetime and optimum
efficiency of the resin used in the following en-
richment process, the isoglucose is clarified on-
ce more in a unit comprising two fixed bed ac-
tivated carbon columns (one on-stream, one
on regeneration mode) before entering the
next cation and anion exchange units.
In a vacuum evaporator a total dry matter of
60% is gained before the isomerose syrup is
transported to a storage tank prior to the en-
richment unit.
Enrichment and blending
Enrichment is carried out by a chromatogra-
phic process designed as a single simulated
moving bed chromatography column separa-
ting the inlet stream into a highly enriched
fructose fraction and a fraction with increased
glucose content.
The fructose fraction is used either as HFS-90
or blended with isoglucose to obtain HFS-55.
The glucose fraction is put back to isomerisa-
tion and/or saccharification and transformed
again partly into fructose.
Evaporation #3
The final concentration adjusted by evaporati-
on depends on the desired product type. HFS-
55 is concentrated to approx. 77%, or alternati-
vely HFS-90 is concentrated to 80% total dry
matter to minimise transport weight of the so-
lution. The concentrate is placed in storage
tanks designed to the customers specific re-
quirements before ultimately being filled into
barrels or dispatched in bulk.
 Consumption figures
For producing 1000 kg of HFS-55 (77% DS) the following
raw materials and utilities are necessary:
Raw material:
Starch (85% DS) 890 kg
Chemicals:
a-Amylase 0.6 kg
Amyloglucosidase 1.4 l
Immobilised isomerase 0.08 kg
Hydrochloric acid (32%) 60 kg
Caustic soda solution (50%) 30 kg
Filter aid 15 kg
Activated carbon 15 kg
Utilities:
Process water 7 m3
Demineralised water 3.5 m3
Cooling water 4800 MJ
Electric energy 130 kWh
Process steam 1.7 to 3.0 t

Chromatography at its best:

VOGELBUSCHs single column simulated bed
chromatography
While chromatography is a widely-used separation
technique in production of HFS, the materialisation of
this unit with just one column marks a milestone in simu-
lated moving bed (SMB) chromatography.

Principle of SMB Chromatography

The principle of chromatography is that HFS feedstock
passes the adsorbens and the feed stream is depleted of
fructose as fructose is adsorbed. Desorption of the ad-
sorbed fructose is accomplished using deionised water
Countercurrent chromatography shows a better per-
formance than batch chromatography due to a steeper
gradient of concentration. Separation volume is used
more effectively and higher productivities and lower con-
sumptions of eluent are achieved. All this makes counter-
current chromatography much more feasible when com-
pared with a batch system.
When countercurrent chromatography is established as
a real moving bed system the absorbent material is mo-
Multiple stage evaporation unit for glucose syrup
ving through the column. This causes many technical
problems such as abrasion. Simulated moving bed tech-
nology prevents these problems while still exploiting the
advantages of countercurrent chromatography. The
countercurrent operation is achieved by moving the inlet
and withdrawal ports, whereas the adsorbent remains
packed in the column.
A typical procedure is shown in the figure below where
the changing positions of inlet and outlet ports and the
actual profiles of total dry matter, fructose and glucose
are displayed.

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

Purity of fructose (%) Purity of fructose (%) Purity of fructose (%) Purity of fructose (%)
100 50 0 100 50 0 100 50 0 100 50 0

PFH PF WT PG

mp

PG PFH PF WT
mp mp

WT PG PFH PF

mp
PF WT PG PFH

50 25 0 50 25 0 50 25 0 50 25 0
Concentration (% w/w) Concentration (% w/w) Concentration (% w/w) Concentration (% w/w)

Purity of fructose in total dry matter substance (%) Process streams

mp mobile phase
Concentration of total dry matter substance (% w/w)
PFH high fructose syrup (60Bx; 42% fructose in dms) WT desorption agent (water)
Concentration of glucose (% w/w)
Concentration of fructose (% w/w) PG glucose rich fraction PF fructose rich fraction
Advantages of the VOGELBUSCH single column SMB system
Resin used as adsorbent changes its operating volume
during loading and regeneration. Other technologies
perform this separation process in mechanically segrega-
ted chambers, where resin breathing results in a number
of disadvantages such as poor separation performance
during loading due to bigger head space and high hydro-
dynamic pressure drop caused by resin expansion during
regeneration.
VOGELBUSCH solved the problem by using one single
packed bed column. Expansion and contraction of the resin
bed occur simultaneously and both effects offset each
other. PCs and online instruments control the process.
Benefits of VBs developments
Decreased stress for the resin and longer lifetime due
to lower hydrodynamic pressure drops;
Higher purities of end-product thanks to restricted
head space;
Lower water consumption.
VOGELBUSCHs single column SMB chromatography al-
so provides further advantages:
Lower investment costs;
Simple construction no mechanical moving parts.

Performance Data
Various operation modes can be run for obtaining either high capacity and low water consumption or high purity.
The following table illustrates typical scenarios:

Target Capacity Water consumption Purity Yield

[kg DMS / m3 d] [m3 / m3 feed syrup] [%] [%]
High capacity 1300 1.0 90 92
High purity 750 2.0 > 96 86

Valve battery and multiple tube filters Top section of a multiple stage evaporation unit

Cascade of activated carbon vessels Drum filter used for the clarification of glucose syrup
A-1050 Wien, Blechturmgasse 11, Austria - Letters: P.O.B. 189, A-1051 Wien
Tel.: +43.1.546 61-0 - Fax: +43.1.545 29 79
office@vienna.vogelbusch.com - www.vogelbusch.com

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