Utilization of Agro-waste for Xylitol Production Through Microbial Fermentation

Xylitol, a five-carbon polyol sugar alcohol with numerous applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries, must be produced by an alternative route to reduce its production cost. The chemical process employing the hydrogenation of D-xylose is very costly. In the last decade, the biotechnological path for low-cost production of xylitol from agro-wastes utilizing microorganisms as whole-cell biocatalysts achieved immense attention. Using low-cost agro-waste for simultaneous assimilation in microorganisms produces value-added products like xylitol and becomes an excellent alternative to managing agro-industrial wastes. Thus, the main aim of this review is to provide the details of the microbe-assisted valorization of agro-wastes to xylitol and also explore the cultivation techniques that influence xylitol production.