Production of D-arabitol by a newly isolated Zygosaccharomyces rouxii

A newly isolated Zygosaccharomyces rouxii NRRL 27,624 produced D-arabitol as the main metabolic product from glucose. In addition, it also produced ethanol and glycerol. The optimal conditions were temperature 30 degrees C, pH 5.0, 350 rpm, and 5% inoculum. The yeast produced 83.4 +/- 1.1 g D-arabitol from 175 +/- 1.1 g glucose per liter at pH 5.0, 30 degrees C, and 350 rpm in 240 h with a yield of 0.48 g/g glucose. It also produced D-arabitol from fructose, galactose, and mannose. The yeast produced D-arabitol and xylitol from xylose and also from a mixture of xylose and xylulose. Resting yeast cells produced 63.6 +/- 1.9 g D-arabitol from 175 +/- 1.8 g glucose per liter in 210 h at pH 5.0, 30 degrees C and 350 rpm with a yield of 0.36 g/g glucose. The yeast has potential to be used for production of xylitol from glucose via D-arabitol route.