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Title: MICROBIAL PRODUCTION OF XYLITOL FROM L-ARABINOSE

Author
item SAKAKIBARA, YOSHIKIYO - JAPAN
item Saha, Badal

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/13/2006
Publication Date: 9/13/2006
Citation: Sakakibara, Y., Saha, B.C. 2006. Microbial production of xylitol from L-arabinose [abstract]. The Society for Biotechnology. Paper No. 2B09-3.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Xylitol is one of the non-sugar sweeteners 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 a 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 producing xylitol from D-xylose have been studied and evaluated for their 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.