Xylitol as bio-product from the agro and forest biorefinery

Abstract

Xylans from hemicelluloses can be depolymerized into xylose for the bioproduction of xylitol. Xylitol is used as a sweetening agent, and it can be an important platform for sustainable bioproducts. A key point in xylitol production is the availability of xylose solutions at low cost, which would facilitate the emergence of new markets and applications. Xylitol can be industrially produced by the fermentation of xylose extracted from hemicelluloses as an alternative to the expensive chemical process. Improvements in biomass treatment, detoxification, and fermentation processes are needed to make xylitol production cost-effective, opening new markets and creating new applications for it. The aim of this chapter is to discuss several strategies for the extraction of the xylose from biomass, the detoxification of the hydrolyzed result to obtain xylose syrup at a relatively low cost, the critical factors for the fermentation of xylose to xylitol, and the recovery of xylitol from fermentation broths.