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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #141837
Title: PRODUCTION OF MANNITOL BY FERMENTATION

Author
item Saha, Badal

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Symposium Series
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2003
Publication Date: 3/1/2003
Citation: SAHA, B.C. PRODUCTION OF MANNITOL BY FERMENTATION. SAHA, B.C., EDITOR. AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY SYMPOSIUM, WASHINGTON, DC. 2003. P.67-85.

Interpretive Summary: Mannitol, a naturally occurring reduced calorie sugar alcohol, is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, medicine, and chemical industries. It is currently manufactured by a chemical process from high fructose corn syrups or table sugar. A number of microorganisms including lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and fungi produce mannitol from these sugars. Mannitol can also be produced by using an enzyme. In this paper, a comprehensive review of the use, advantages and disadvantages of chemical process, potential fermentation and enzyme routes for its production, and product separation and purification method is presented. The manuscript is of great value to academic, government, and industrial scientists who are currently working or planning to work on developing bio-based methods for sugar alcohol production.

Technical Abstract: Mannitol, a naturally occurring polyol or sugar alcohol, is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, medicine, and chemical industries. The production of mannitol by fermentation has become attractive because of the problems associated with its production chemically. A number of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi are known to produce mannitol. In this article, research dealing with mannitol production by fermentation using lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and fungi is presented. Several heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria are excellent producers of mannitol using fructose as an electron acceptor. Recent progress in the production of mannitol by fermentation and using enzyme technology as well as downstream processing of mannitol are described. The problems and prospects for mannitol production by fermentation and enzymatic means and future directions of research are highlighted.