Fructosyltransferases in plants: Structure, function and application: A review

Abstract

Fructosyltransferases (FTs) are an important group of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of fructans in some plants and in a large number of microorganisms. Several studies have shown that FTs play a key role in regulating the levels of fructan molecules during abiotic stress tolerance of certain plant species. Because of their diverse range of functional characteristics, efforts have increased to improve fructans applications in food quality and in added health benefits of plants. For these reasons, interest on the search for more direct and cost-effective routes to producing fructans have also increased. In this paper, we review recent research on plant FTs and summarize their role in the regulation of fructan biosynthesis and their use in producing fructans at an industrial scale. We also present the challenges and opportunities that FTs will present in the future.

Keywords

• Fructans
• Fructosyltransferase
• Enzymes
• Fructooligosaccharides
• Health
• Stress