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Title: MICROBIAL PRODUCTION OF XYLITOL FROM L-ARABINOSE

Author
item SAKAKIBARA, YOSHIKIYO - BRDC
item Saha, Badal
item TAYLOR, PAUL - ZUCHEM
item WYMER, NATHAN - ZUCHEM

Submitted to: American Chemical Society National Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/30/2006
Publication Date: 3/30/2006
Citation: Sakakibara, Y., Saha, B.C., Taylor, P., Wymer, N. 2006. Microbial production of xylitol from L-arabinose [abstract]. American Chemical Society. Paper No. AGFD 79.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Xylitol is a non-sugar sweetener approved for use in foods and other items in many countries. It has the same order of sweetness as sucrose with fewer calories and no unpleasant aftertaste. It is also well known that xylitol is an anticariogenic sweetener. These properties make xylitol an extremely useful food ingredient, but xylitol is about six times the price of sucrose. Therefore, microbial production of xylitol, using hemicellulosic biomass such as agricultural residues, is attractive for reducing the manufacturing cost. The hemicellulose hydrolyzates are generally rich in D-xylose and L-arabinose. Although a large number of microorganisms that produce xylitol from D xylose have been studied and evaluated for xylitol production, there are few studies on microbial production of xylitol from L-arabinose. We have developed a microorganism that can produce xylitol from L-arabinose at a high yield by transforming a new synthetic pathway into Escherichia coli.