PROCESSES FOR FERMENTATIVE PRODUCTION OF XYLITOL - A SUGAR SUBSTITUTE

Agricultural residues rich in carbohydrate content, such as hemicellulose, are produced in large amounts annually world-wide. These biological byproducts, which are wastes, can be processed for the production of products such as xylitol. Xylitol is an important substitute for sucrose and has found many applications in the food and drink industries. The present review describes the microbiological processes which can be employed for the bioconversion of xylose, a pentose sugar obtained from hemicellulose parts of plant tissues, into xylitol.