Food Industry Research and Development Institute

Wen-Haw Hsu

Wen-Shen Chu

Chiou-Yen Wen

Shie-Jea Lin

Guey-Yuh Liou

A method of producing erythritol. The method includes growing in a culture an isolated yeast strain that possesses certain unique characteristics and is capable of converting glucose to erythritol in a glucose-containing medium, and purifying erythritol from the culture.

Erythritol-producing yeast strains

A yeast strain capable of converting glucose to erythritol, said strain having the following identifying characteristics: an absence of motile spores; septate mycelia; asexual reproduction; an absence of reniform cells; conidia optionally formed on short denticles but not on elongate stalks; an absence of ballistoconidia; non-monopolar budding on a broad base; acropetal chains of blastoconidia; dark brown, thick-walled chlamydospores; an ability to assimilate sucrose, glycerol and maltose; an inability to assimilate lactose; an inability to ferment galactose; an ability to grow in a vitamin-free medium; and an ability to grow at 25&deg; C. to 36&deg; C.

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Wen-Haw Hsu