Vol. 2, Issue 12 (2014)

Author(s):
Archana Sharma

Abstract:
Xylose can be converted to xylitol, a high valued natural sweetener used in the food industry by catalytic hydrogenation. Traditionally, nickel catalysts are employed in the production of xylitol on industrial scale. Xylitol, a natural sweetener, has got additional advantages over common sugar ‘sucrose’. Firstly, xylitol has no insulin requirement, making it suitable for usage by diabetics. Secondly, it is very good for patient suffering from dental problems, viz., dental carries, tooth decay and falling of teeth. It is non cariogenic and nontoxic. Xylose is reduce to xylitol by catalytic hydrogenation in a pressure reactor. Parameters like temperature, pressure, initial concentration of xylose, agitation rate, catalyst loading and pH for the process need to be optimized. Finally under the optimized conditions the process is carried out to produce maximum amount of the product i.e. xylitol. Normally this reaction process is carried out under pressure at elevated temperature.