Process Biotechnology
EJB Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458 Vol.4 No. 2, Issue of August 15, 2001
© 2001 by Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile Received April 24, 2001 / Accepted July 17, 2001
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Production of natural and rare pentoses using microorganisms and their enzymes

Zakaria Ahmed
Food Science and Biochemistry Division
Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University
Kagawa 761-0795, Kagawa-Ken, Japan
E-mail:
zahmed@bol-online.com

Financial support: Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan under scholarship program for foreign students.

Keywords: enzyme, microorganism, monosaccharides, pentose, rare sugar.

Present address: Scientific Officer, Microbiology and Biochemistry Division, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute, Shere-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh. Tel: 880-2-8124920.

Abstract Full Text

Biochemical methods, usually microbial or enzymatic, are suitable for the production of unnatural or rare monosaccharides. D-Arabitol was produced from D-glucose by fermentation with Candida famata R28. D-xylulose can also be produced from D-arabitol using Acetobacter aceti IFO 3281 and D-lyxose was produced enzymatically from D-xylulose using L-ribose isomerase (L-RI). Ribitol was oxidized to L-ribulose by microbial bioconversion with Acetobacter aceti IFO 3281; L-ribulose was epimerized to L-xylulose by the enzyme D-tagatose 3-epimerase and L-lyxose was produced by isomerization of L-RI. L-ribose and L-arabinose were prepared biochemically from ribitol by oxidation using Acetobacter aceti IFO 3281 and isomerization using L-RI and L-arabinose isomerase (L-AI), respectively. Other pentoses can be produced as well by cell or enzyme bioconversions.

Supported by UNESCO / MIRCEN network
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