BACKGROUND Acute otitis media (AOM) is the most common bacterial infection among young children in the United States. There are limitations and concerns over its treatment with antibiotics and surgery and so effective preventative measures are attractive. A potential preventative measure is xylitol, a natural sugar substitute that reduces the risk of dental decay. Xylitol can reduce the adheren...

D-xylitol is a naturally-occurring five-carbon sugar alcohol. It can also be derived from the chemical reduction of D-xylose. It is widely used in recent years and will continue to be used as a food additive and sweetening agent in the food industry. The qualitative detection and quantification of D-xylitol in the presence of other sugars and sugar alcohols in fruits, vegetables and other natur...

Introduction: Dental caries is a diet-associated disease which continues to be a serious health problem in most industrialized and developing countries. Strategies to maximize caries prevention should automatically consider the use of sugar substitutes. It is important that public health authorities are made cognizant of the availability of new polyol-type sugar substitutes. Review Summary: Cli...

Xylitol can be obtained from wheat straw hemicellulose containing a high content of xylan. This study describes a new system of hydrolysis, utilizing a mixed solution of formic acid and hydrochloric acid in which xylan can be hydrolyzed effectively. The hydrolysate contains a high content of formic acid, which markedly inhibits the fermentation. One of the most efficient methods for removing in...

Candida guilliermondii cells were immobilized in Ca-alginate beads and used for xylitol production from concentrated sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate during five successive fermentation batches, each lasting 48 hours. The bioconversion efficiency of 53.2%, the productivity of 0.50 g/l x h and the final xylitol concentration of 23.8 g/l obtained in the first batch increased to 61.5%, 0.59 g/l x h a...

A cyanide-insensitive and salicyl hydroxamic acid-sensitive respiration (CIR) was found in the yeast Pichia stipitis in contrast to Candida utilis, Pachysolen tannophilus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. During xylose utilization in the presence of either salicyl hydroxamic acid or cyanide, P. stipitis formed xylitol, arabitol, and ribitol. The existence of CIR is discussed in terms of a redox si...

The fermentation mechanism of the simultaneous production of D-xylonic acid and xylitol from D-xylose by Pichia quercuum was studied by using a cell-free enzyme preparation. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP)-dependent D-xylose dehydrogenase activity and NADP-dependent D-xylose reductase activity were detected, and the oxido-reduction reaction of D-xylose was able to couple thro...

A prescription of model dental anti-inflammatory gels has been worked out on the base of cellulose derivatives with the content of saccharic alcohols: xylitol and sorbitol. The effect of saccharic alcohol on rheological parameters (extensibility and viscosity) of the produced gels was tested. Taking into account application, the most beneficial results of rheological tests were obtained for gel...