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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
Innovation in sodium erythorbate production: the use of membrane-reactors
G Spigno1, C Pagella, M D De Faveri
1Istituto di Enologia e Ingegneria Alimentare, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Via Emilia Parmense, 84, 29100 Piacenza.
Abstract:
Isoascorbic or erythorbic acid is a stereoisomer of ascorbic acid acting as a preservative against oxidation and decoloration, recently approved for food use also in the European Market. Actually erythorbate is produced by means of a complex and long process after bio-fermentation of dextrose. In order to simplify and improve this process a membrane system was conceived able to induce acid 2-ketogluconic diffusion from fermentation broth directly into methanol where it esterificates. Acid 2-ketogluconic methyl ester is the intermediate for erythorbic acid. The principal problem was to perfectly separate water from methanol to avoid saponification instead of esterification.
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