8 - Xylitol and sorbitol: production routes, challenges and opportunities in biorefineries integration

Abstract

Xylitol and sorbitol are high-added-value chemicals with important applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries, since they present a sweetness similar to that of sucrose with lower caloric content and glycemic index, insulin-independent metabolism, and microbiological and chemical stability. The market focused on these polyols has been continuously growing due to their relevant properties and to the likelihood of using them as platform chemicals. Nowadays, they are produced at the commercial scale based on chemical routes that still present significant efficiency and sustainability issues, a fact that has encouraged research focusing on the development of biotechnological routes based on using productive chain by-products, mainly lignocellulosic and starchy biomasses, as raw material. It has been suggested that integrating xylitol and sorbitol production to biorefineries would contribute to the technical and economic feasibility of these productive units. The aim of the current chapter is to explore chemical and biotechnological routes for xylitol and sorbitol production, their applications and market trends, as well as challenges and opportunities for the incorporation of these important polyols into biorefineries.