Sterile filtered lactase preparation comprising salt with monovalent cation
The present invention relates to a sterile-filtered liquid lactase preparation and to a method of sterile filtering a liquid lactase preparation. At least 0.01% w/w of at least one salt having a monovalent cation is added in order to improve filterability. The system may further comprise a polyol stabilizer.
1. A liquid composition comprising
(a) a lactase, wherein the concentration of the lactase is 10-5000 LAU-B/g;
(b) at least one salt selected from the group consisting of NaCl, KCl, NH 4 Cl and a combination thereof, wherein the concentration of the at least one salt is 0.1-5% w/w; and
(c) a polyol selected from the group consisting of glycerol, sorbitol, monopropylene glycol, sucrose, glucose, galactose, lactose, and a combination thereof, wherein the concentration of the polyol is 10-70% w/w;
wherein the liquid composition is sterile-filtered.
2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one salt is NaCl.
3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one salt is KCl.
4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one salt is NH 4 Cl.
5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the polyol is 30-60% w/w.
6. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the concentration of the polyol is 30-60% w/w.
7. The composition of claim 3 , wherein the concentration of the polyol is 30-60% w/w.
8. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the concentration of the polyol is 30-60% w/w.
9. The composition of claim 5 , wherein the polyol is glycerol.
10. The composition of claim 6 , wherein the polyol is glycerol.
11. The composition of claim 7 , wherein the polyol is glycerol.
12. The composition of claim 8 , wherein the polyol is glycerol.
13. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the lactase has an amino acid sequence which is at least 50% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1.
14. The composition of claim 13 , wherein the lactase has a C-terminal end corresponding to amino acid 1304 of SEQ ID NO: 1.
15. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one second salt having a divalent cation.
16. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the at least one second salt having a divalent cation is a salt of Mg ++ .
17. The composition of claim 9 , further comprising at least one second salt having a divalent cation.
18. The composition of claim 17 , wherein the at least one second salt having a divalent cation is a salt of Mg ++ .
19. A method of sterilizing a liquid lactase composition, comprising sterile filtering a liquid composition which comprises (a) a lactase, wherein the concentration of the lactase is 10-5000 LAU-B/g; (b) at least one salt selected from the group consisting of NaCl, KCl, NH 4 Cl and a combination thereof, wherein the concentration of the at least one salt is 0.1-5% w/w; and (c) a polyol selected from the group consisting of glycerol, sorbitol, monopropylene glycol, sucrose, glucose, galactose, lactose, and a combination thereof, wherein the concentration of the polyol is 10-70% w/w.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the sterile filtering is performed in-line within a production process of a dairy product.