Abstract

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF XYLITOL PRODUCED FROM SUGARCANE BAGASSE

Reshma. A., Parimala Gnana Soundari, A., Suresh .R, Brindha Priyadarsini V*

ABSTRACT

Xylitol is a five carbon pentahydroxy alcohol, broadly occurring in nature, Because of its high sweetening power and no insulin requirement for its digestion, xylitol has recently become an alternative sweetener for the treatment of diabetics. Sugarcane bagasse is a renewable and cheap resource available as residue from sugarcane industry. Xylitol has been reported earlier to posses antimicrobial activity against dental pathogens. Based on reports available the study was designed to produce xylitol from sugarcane bagasse using Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a medium supplemented with rice bran extract as nitrogen source and to detect its antimicrobial activity against dental pathogens. The production of xylitol was identified through high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). The xylitol produced showed good antimicrobial activity against dental pathogen Streptococcus mutans.

Keywords: Bagasse hydrolysate, Fermentation, High performance thin layer chromatography, Streptococcus mutans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Xylitol.