[Bioconversion of hemicellulose hydrolysates for xylitol production]

Xylitol has attracted much attention because of its many applications in the food, medicine and chemical industries. However the use has been limited by its high price. This coast is a result of the extensive purification steps needed for the preparation of a pure xylose solution, which is essential for the chemical process. The fermentative process of xylitol is an interesting alternative to conventional chemical process, since it does not require initial xylose purification. The present review describes the advantage of xylitol production by fermentation, xylitol-producting microorganisms, metabolic pathway of xylose in yeasts, detoxification of hemicellulose hydrolysates and fermentative conditions affecting xylitol production.