Trehalose

• BPTrehalose Dihydrate
• Ph. Eur.Trehalose Dihydrate
• USP–NFTrehalose

α,α-Trehalose; mycose; mushroom sugar; Treha; trehalosum dihydricum

α-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1→1)-α-D-glucopyranoside dihydrate · [99-20-7]

UNII B8WCK70T7I · PubChem CID 7427

C12H22O11·2H2O · 378.33

Stabiliser, lyoprotectant

Typical concentrations: — · Dosage forms: Sterile (parenteral/ophthalmic)

Widely used as a stabiliser and lyoprotectant for proteins, monoclonal antibodies and vaccines in freeze-dried and liquid parenteral products, where it protects proteins during freezing, drying and storage. It is also used as a tonicity agent, as a bulking agent and diluent in oral solids, in ophthalmic products and as a food ingredient.

White or almost white, odourless crystalline powder with a mildly sweet taste. It is a non-reducing disaccharide of two glucose units joined through their anomeric carbons.

Melting point

about 97 °C (dihydrate); about 203 °C (anhydrous crystalline form)

Glass transition temperature

high for a disaccharide, about 115–120 °C for the dry amorphous form

Water content

about 9.5% w/w (water of crystallisation of the dihydrate)

Solubility

freely soluble in water; very slightly soluble in ethanol

Sweetness

about half that of sucrose

Very stable: the glycosidic bond resists acid hydrolysis and heat better than that of sucrose, and as a non-reducing sugar it does not take part in Maillard reactions. Store in a well-closed container in a cool, dry place.

Few incompatibilities are known. Strong oxidising agents should be avoided.

Produced commercially from liquefied starch by a two-enzyme process that converts the reducing end of maltooligosaccharides into a trehalose unit and then releases trehalose; it is purified by crystallisation. It also occurs naturally in fungi, yeasts, insects and some plants.

Non-toxic and non-irritant. Taken orally it is hydrolysed to glucose by intestinal trehalase; people with the rare trehalase deficiency may have gastrointestinal symptoms after large amounts.

Observe normal precautions for the quantity handled. Eye protection and gloves are recommended.

GRAS (FDA notification). Authorised as a novel food in the EU. Included in the FDA Inactive Ingredient Database (intravenous and subcutaneous injections; ophthalmic and other preparations) and in parenteral medicines licensed in Europe.

Lactose; mannitol; sucrose.

Its high glass transition temperature and low reactivity make trehalose a preferred alternative to sucrose for stabilising biologics. For parenteral use, grades with low endotoxin and controlled impurity profiles should be specified.