Optimization study of hemicellulosic hydrolyzate fermentation for the co-production of xylitol and arabitol by Candida tropicalis

• Grant number: 21/05508-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2021
• End date: March 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Marcus Bruno Soares Forte
• Grantee: Gabriel Cicalese Bevilaqua
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Xylitol and arabitol are stereoisomeric polyalcohols that have similar properties and applications and arouse market interest. Even though the chemical route is currently more used in the production of these compounds, production through fermentative processes uses mild conditions and is less environmentally harmful. Despite this, the biotechnological route presents difficulties such as the low yield and cost of the process, such as in the separation between xylitol and arabitol. In this context, production optimization studies stand out as a way to make the process more profitable and unexplored opportunities can be developed, such as the simultaneous use of the two polyalcohols, which would eliminate their separation.Thus, this project aims to optimize the biological co-production of xylitol and arabitol from the sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolyzate. For this, a strain of Candida tropicalis will be used in fermentation studies.Initially, the addition of alternative nitrogen sources to the hemicellulosic hydrolyzate, such as brewer's yeast and corn steeping water, will be evaluated. An experimental design will evaluate the influence of the composition of the medium, temperature and pH of the process on the productivity of biocompounds. Then, knowing the importance of the availability of oxygen in the biochemical pathways of production of xylitol and arabitol, the influence of aeration and agitation of the medium on the yield of the fermentation process in bioreactors will be verified. Thus, it is expected to obtain correlations that express the influence of the evaluated parameters on the process yield, defining conditions that enable the greater conversion of the raw material into xylitol and arabitol simultaneously, increasing profitability and enabling the application of the process on a larger scale.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BEVILAQUA, GABRIEL CICALESE; MAUGERI FILHO, FRANCISCO; FORTE, MARCUS BRUNO SOARES. Simultaneous production of xylitol and arabitol by Candida tropicalis fermentation improving agro-industrial wastes valorization. FOOD AND BIOPRODUCTS PROCESSING, v. 140, p. 17-pg., 2023-05-06. (21/05508-9)

SOARES, MARCELO GOMES; BEVILAQUA, GABRIEL CICALESE; DE LIMA, MARIELI. Potential Applications of Environmentally Friendly Nanoparticles in Food Matrices: A Review. Food and Bioprocess Technology, v. N/A, p. 19-pg., 2023-04-20. (22/05719-2, 21/05508-9)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

BEVILAQUA, Gabriel Cicalese. Polyols: a study of the simultaneous biological production of xylitol and arabitol from agroindustrial waste. 2023. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos Campinas, SP.