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Bioprocess for Xylitol
from Hemicellulose--ZuChem, Inc., 2225 W Harrison St, Suite F,
Chicago, IL 60612‑4671; 312‑997‑2150,
www.zuchem.com
Dr. Mike Racine, PhD, Principal
Investigator, miker@zuchem.com
Dr. Gina Berardesco
PhD, Business Official, ginab@zuchem.com
DOE Grant No. DE‑FG02‑07ER84793
Amount:
$748,800
When ethanol is produced from corn, only the starch is transformed,
and a significant amount of byproducts is produced. If these byproducts, which are rich in sugars,
could be made into a valuable product, the cost-effectiveness of ethanol
production will be enhanced. One such
potential product is xylitol, a five-carbon
polyalcohol that has gained acceptance as a natural food sweetener that can
replace sucrose on a weight-for-weight basis.
Although xylitol is in high demand by the food
ingredient and confectionary industries, its use currently is constrained by
the limited supply of raw materials. This
project will develop a bioprocess to transform waste sugars into xylitol, thereby improving the economics of ethanol
production. In Phase I, bacterial host
strains were developed for the transformation of these waste sugars. In addition, the various feedstocks
that would feed the bioprocess were evaluated, several prototype bioconversion
systems were assembled and tested, and some preliminary metabolic engineering was
performed to demonstrate feasibility. Phase
II will involve further metabolic engineering, fine-tuning of the fermentation
process, and scaling-up the process to commercial levels.
Commercial
Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The new bioprocess should
significantly reduce the cost of commercial xylitol
production, free xylitol production from the current
raw-material-availability constraints, and have a positive impact on the
economics of fuel ethanol production. Moreover,
domestic firms would be able to produce xylitol more
cheaply, thereby avoiding the need to relocate manufacturing facilities to