Assam: A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, by using a new method, have succeeded in producing “Xylitol”, a safe sugar substitute from bagasse, sugarcane residue left after crushing.
The new method using ultrasound-assisted fermentation overcomes the limitations of synthesis using chemicals and is quick compared to conventional fermentation.
According to the media reports, the research team was led by Professor VS Moholkar, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, and included Dr. Belachew Zegale Tizazu and Dr. Kuldeep Roy who co-authored the research papers.
V S Moholkar, associated with the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, said, “People are preferring consumption of sweeteners like Xylitol, derived from natural products, as they have anti-diabetic and anti-obesogenic effects.”
“The ultrasound method helps in reducing the fermentation process from 48 hours to 15 hours and increases yield of the product by 20 per cent,” he said.
“Xylitol production from sugarcane bagasse using ultrasonic fermentation is a potential opportunity for forward integration of sugarcane industries in India,” Moholkar further added.
At present xylitol is industrially produced by using a method of chemical reaction in which wood-derived D-xylose, a costly chemical, is treated with nickel catalyst at very high temperatures and pressures that makes the process highly energy consuming. This process is costly, therefore it costs high to the consumers.
According to the researchers they have produced xylitol in a laboratory and starting commercial production on a large scale may face challenges.
The research has been published in Bioresource Technology and Ultrasonic Sonochemistry journals.
