The alternative sweetener, xylitol, occupies an interesting market niche. Xylitol, a sugar alcohol, is not metabolized via the insulin pathway, and thus has found use as a sweetener for diabetes patients. Yet xylitol has seen limited success in the marketplace. Its relatively high production costs and low availability have restricted its adoption as an alternative sweetener. We believe the introduction of xylitol at a lower price point would have the effect of increasing sales and expanding the market to new applications. The aim of this Phase I research project is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of a new, more efficient process for the fermentative production of xylitol from sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate. OBJECTIVES: The goal is of this project is to demonstrate an enhanced process technology for the microbial production of xylitol, using perfusion cell culture. APPROACH: This proof-of-principle experiment will be carried out in three stages. The first stage is the hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse, as well as its concentration and detoxification. In the second stage, the bagasse hydrolysate will serve as a substrate for the production of xylitol by C. guillermondii using perfusion fermentation techniques. In the third stage, the specific productivity and medium utilization achieved will be compared with the baseline previously established in batch mode, and a mathematical model will be developed analyzing their dependence on some of the variables of the system
