摘要：

Enzymatic production methods of physiologically active oligosaccharides using bioreactors are summarized. First, types of enzyme bioreactors used for oligosaccharide production are introduced, and their features are discussed in relationship to reaction mechanisms of oligosaccharide formation and the basis of operational characteristics of each type of bioreactor. Then, an example of research on development of bioreactors for producing functional oligosaccharides that is conducted by the author's research group is demonstrated. Preparation of stable immobilized enzyme is a key point to develop a stable bioreactor system because generally enzymes are very unstable in free form. However, immobilization of enzymes often affects not only catalytic activity but also selectivity of produced oligosaccharides. Here, an index for evaluating the effect of operational conditions on the yield of target oligosaccharides is introduced. Physiologically active chitosan oligosaccharides could be produced continuously with high selectivity and good stability by choosing adequate bioreactors and by optimizing their operation conditions.

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