Sugar Alchohol invented by IIT Guwahati Scientists as healthier alternative to regular sweeteners

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology in Guwahati have created an ultrasound-assisted fermentation process to turn the leftover sugarcane pulp into the safe sugar substitute “Xylitol.” There has been an increase in the use of safe alternative sweeteners as awareness of the negative effects of white sugar (sucrose) on patients with diabetes and general health has grown. Scientists claim that Xylitol, a sugar alcohol derived from natural products, may have anti-obesogenic and anti-diabetic properties in addition to its role as a mild prebiotic and tooth-protecting agent.Belachew Zegale Tizazu and Dr. Kuldeep Roy were members of the research team headed by Prof. V.S. Moholkar of the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Guwahati, and they collaborated on the research papers. The study’s results were also published in the peer-reviewed journals Ultrasonics Sonochemistry and Bioresource Technology.”The use of ultrasound during the fermentation process increased the yield of the product by almost 20% while also reducing the time of fermentation to 15 hours (as opposed to almost 48 hours in conventional processes). Only 1.5 hours of ultrasonication were used by the researchers during the fermentation, which means that very little ultrasound power was used. Therefore, the production of xylitol from sugarcane bagasse using ultrasonic fermentation presents a potential opportunity for the forward integration of the sugarcane industries in India, according to a statement from Prof. V.S. Moholkar of the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Guwahati.The team accelerated the fermentation of the xylose to xylitol, which normally takes 48 hours, by exposing the mixture to ultrasound waves. The scientists found that when the process was subjected to ultrasound, the yield increased to 0.61g/gram of xylose from 0.53g/gram without ultrasound. Although the team is thrilled with the results, they are currently working to commercialise sonic fermentation.This equals 170 grammes of xylitol for every kilogramme of bagasse. By immobilising the yeast in polyurethane foam, the yield could be raised to 0.66 grammes per gramme of xylose and the fermentation time shortened to 15 hours, the researchers reported on Tuesday.

By Subhechcha Ganguly