Fermentation (Jun 2019)

Food Industrial Production of Monosaccharides Using Microbial, Enzymatic, and Chemical Methods

  • Tomoya Shintani

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation5020047
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 2
p. 47

Abstract

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Most monosaccharides in nature are hexoses, which have six carbon atoms; the most well-known hexose is d-glucose. Various hexoses with distinct characteristics can be produced from inexpensive polysaccharides for applications in the food industry. Therefore, identification of the health-related functions of hexose will facilitate the consumption of hexoses in food products to improve quality of life. The hexoses available in foods include N-acetyl glucosamine, d-glucosamine, d-fructose, d-mannose, d-galactose, other d-hexoses, and l-hexoses. Here, an updated overview of food industrial production methods for natural hexoses by microbial, enzymatic, and chemical methods is provided.

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