BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PRODUCTION OF XYLITOL - PART 1 - INTEREST OF XYLITOLAND FUNDAMENTALS OF ITS BIOSYNTHESIS

Xylitol, a polyol with growing market as a sweetener; can be produced by either chemical or biotechnological methods. The chemical propertie s of xylitol relevant; to its food applications are summarized. The ap plicable production technologies (extraction from vegetables and fruit s, chemical synthesis and biotechnological processes based on the util ization of bacteria, fungi or yeast) are described. Special attention is paid to the fundamentals of xylose metabolism by yeast, since this is a key factor affecting the feasibility of the most promising biotec hnological methods for xylitol production. Other related technologies, involving the utilization of enzymes, combinations of enzymes and mic roorganisms or mixed cultures of microorganisms, are also described. ( C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.