Microbial Pentose Utilization : Current Applications in Biotechnology

Microbial utilization of the inexhuaustible lignocellulosic biomass fo r the production of industrial chemicals, liquid fuels, protein-rich f eed and food, and preparation of cellulose polymers, is an attractive approach to help meet energy and food demands. Whilst biomass has serv ed as substrate in microbial processes for the production of alchololi c beverages for a long time, it is only recently that broader applicat ions of this material have been envisaged. Hemicellulose-derived sugar s have many potential uses in the production of industrial chemicals a nd solvents. Considerable developments have been made, not only in the improvement of yeast and recombinant bacterial strains, but also in t he bioprocessing of these organisms during the last two decades. Altho ugh the volume of information available on microbial pentose utilizati on is increasing, the available literature is mostly scattered.