Acid Hydrolysis Kinetics of Sucrose in Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor for Invert Sugar Production

Abstract

Invert sugar production through acid hydrolysis of sucrose is an important process in food, pharmaceutical, and fermentation industries due to the enhanced sweetness, solubility, and hygroscopic properties of the resulting glucose–fructose mixture. This study investigates the kinetics of sucrose hydrolysis in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) under acidic conditions with emphasis on reaction rate behavior, conversion efficiency, and process optimization. Experimental analyses were conducted to evaluate the influence of temperature, acid concentration, residence time, agitation speed, and initial sucrose concentration on hydrolysis performance and invert sugar yield. The reaction kinetics were modeled using established rate equations to determine the order of reaction and activation energy associated with the hydrolysis process. Results indicated that increasing temperature and acid concentration significantly accelerated sucrose conversion, while appropriate residence time improved the production of glucose and fructose with minimal degradation of sugar components. The continuous stirred tank reactor provided effective mixing and uniform temperature distribution, contributing to stable reaction conditions and enhanced process controllability. Kinetic modeling demonstrated strong agreement between experimental data and predicted conversion values, confirming the suitability of the proposed model for industrial reactor design and scale-up applications. The study further revealed that optimized operating conditions reduce energy consumption and improve product consistency in continuous invert sugar production systems. The findings highlight the importance of kinetic analysis and reactor optimization in achieving efficient hydrolysis performance and support the development of sustainable continuous processing technologies for food and biochemical manufacturing industries.