USDA Develops Biotech Process For Making Xylitol From Corn Fiber.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Chemical Market Reporter, July, 2000

THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture says that by using a process being developed by government scientists, corn fiber left over from ethanol production could be turned into a high-value, low-calorie sweetener for niche markets. The makers of sugarless chewing gums now pay about $3 per pound for the sweetener xylitol.

In contrast, ethanol manufacturers sell corn fiber as cattle feed for only few pennies per pound. USDA scientists say that certain stains of the yeast Pichia guilliermondii excel at making xylitol hut the process is often hindered by glucose, another type of sugar found in fermented corn fiber. When Pichia guilliermondii comes in contact with both glucose and xylose in fermented corn fiber it prefers the glucose, leaving the yeast...

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