Vol. 8, Issue 2 (2019)

Author(s):
AS Lejaniya, R Geetha, CT Sathian, K Radha, KK Jayavardhanan and KA Mercy

Abstract:
As calorie-consciousness and obesity became worldwide crisis day by day, demand for low calorie sweeteners is increasing. Mannitol is a natural sugar alcohol widely used in foods, pharmaceuticals and medical industry and considered to be half as sweet as sucrose. Reduced calorific value of mannitol (1.6 kilocalorie per gram) when compared to other sugars finds its application as a sweetener in low calorie foods. In a study conducted to identify LAB having significant mannitol production potential, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides IMAU: 11666 was found to be the best among the five unknown LAB isolates screened. Colorimetric assay was adopted for mannitol estimation and a yield of 0.65 g/l was observed from the above strain. The organism was identified by biochemical assays and confirmed by PCR and sequencing. Since production of mannitol by bacterial fermentation is more economical compared to industrial method of production, this specific strain can be utilised for economic production of mannitol .