New Mannitol Production Technique Developed by ARS

New Mannitol Production Technique Developed by ARS

BELTSVILLE, Md.A newproduction method for mannitol, based on bacterial fermentation, has beendeveloped by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the chief scientificresearch agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in conjunctionwith Chicago-based zuChem Inc.

The new production method involves feeding high-fructose corn syrup to Lactobacillusintermedius bacteria in a deep-tank fermentor; withinseveral hours, the bacteria convert 72 percent of the syrup into mannitol. ARSobtained a patent (U.S. 6,855,526, B2) on the process in February.

In 2004, zuChem successfully petitioned the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) to approve mannitol produced by microbial fermentation.