Would you like one or two wood chips in your coffee? How
about a few cottonseed hulls to sweeten your cereal?
Sound ridiculous? A University of Georgia researcher says a
large,
untapped supply of a natural, high-valued sweetener lies hidden
within Georgia's agriculture and timber industries. You just have
to know how to get to it.
Sweeter Value
Jim Kastner, a biological and agricultural engineer with the UGA
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is working
on a fermentation process to extract an alternative sweetener
from common Georgia by-products.
The sweetener, xylitol, is a highly valued product that's growing
in demand worldwide, Kastner said. It's used in chewing gums,
pharmaceutical and dental hygiene products.
Using xylitol has many advantages, he said. And it's just as
sweet
as regular table sugar. "Not only is it sweet, but it
generates
a pleasant, cooling sensation in the mouth," he said.
Xylitol is better for you than regular sugar.
It doesn't cause cavities and actually fights the bacteria that
causes cavities.
It's safer for people with diabetes, too, because it doesn't
cause
an insulin response. It's also known to inhibit the growth of
other bacteria, including the one that's the most common cause
of ear infections in children.
Getting to the Value
"With the research, the overall goal is to develop
specialty,
value-added commodities from renewable carbon sources in the
state,"
Kastner said. "Xylitol is one of these products."
Because Georgia has a large agriculture and timber industry, the
state has a large supply of renewable carbon sources, such as
cottonseed and soybean hulls and waste from the pulp and paper
industry, he said.
For example, wastewater from the pulp and paper industry contains
many fermentable carbon sources. One is called xylose.
Kastner's fermentation process uses microorganisms to feed on
the xylose. As the microorganisms feed, they convert the xylose
into xylitol.
"We're in the process of designing a new strain of
microorganism
to use in the process to give us higher yields," he
said.
Kastner is now taking the research from the laboratory and
placing
it into real-life industry situations. He's working closely with
a specialty pulp and paper company in Georgia to see how well
his process will work at the plant.
The research has the potential to produce a range of products
other than xylitol. One such product is Ribose, which is used
to synthesize anti-cancer drugs.
"If we develop the technology to apply this to industry in
Georgia," Kastner said, "the infrastructure will be
established to further develop these other compounds."
Published on 04/04/01
One Wood Chip or Two? New 'Sugar' Source
Brad Haire is the former news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Experts/Sources:
CAES News
Pool Protection Technologies founders make big splash in 2024 FABricate pitch contest
03/28/24 Sean Montgomery
Another successful cycle of the University of Georgia’s FABricate Entrepreneurial Initiative wrapped up Tuesday night at the Delta Innovation Hub, with a sustainable pool-maintenance solution winning the $10,000 grand prize. Pool Protection Technologies, founded by UGA College of Engineering students Garrett Stigall and Guy Gober, highlighted its high-quality sound amplifying machine (SAM) that treats algae growth in pools.
CAES News
Can a cup of tea keep COVID away?
03/27/24 Jennifer L Reynolds
New research from the University of Georgia suggests that something as simple as a cup of tea can help in the fight against COVID-19. Tea has been renowned globally for its many health benefits, and Malak Esseili, a virologist with the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, wanted to know if it may also affect SARS-CoV-2.
CAES News
Unprecedented hunger study addresses gaps in food assistance programs
03/26/24 Cal Powell
Food insecurity, indicated by a lack of consistent access to nutritious foods, continues to affect Georgia families and poses unique obstacles to charitable food assistance programs trying to address the need. The 2023 Georgia Hunger Study, conducted by an interdisciplinary team of University of Georgia researchers in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Human Services and Feeding Georgia, found that 79% of households utilizing charitable food agencies reported experiencing food insecurity.
CAES News
2024 Farm Stress Summit provides mental health resources for Georgia farm communities
03/25/24 Jordan Powers
As Georgia’s No. 1 industry, agriculture pumps billions of dollars into the state’s economy each year. While headlines often highlight Georgia’s commodities — peanuts, blueberries, poultry and more — one aspect of agriculture is often not discussed, the farmers themselves. At the 2024 Farm Stress Summit, held at the Chattahoochee Technical College Jasper campus, a few critical points were woven throughout each of the day’s sessions: The people are the most important part of Georgia’s agricultural industry, and the state needs to come together to help farmers and promote agricultural education and awareness.
CAES News
UGArden herbal tea program launches sales in campus dining halls
03/21/24 Jordan Powers
The door to UGArden’s herb drying room leads to an olfactory explosion — sharp peppermint, earthy tulsi, sweet calendula and floral chamomile mix into an herbal perfume that would undoubtedly have tea drinkers reaching for their kettles. Now University of Georgia students will be able to get a taste of UGArden’s chamomile tea, along with a selection of the student community farm’s other herbal teas, with their campus meals as the UGArden medicinal herb program expands into UGA dining halls this spring.
CAES News
36 finalists advance in 2024 Flavor of Georgia contest
03/20/24 Lillian Dickens
Working their way through 139 hopeful food products organized in colorful rows, a panel of judges selected 36 finalists for the 2024 Flavor of Georgia food product contest to be held in Athens on April 4. The first round of the annual competition was held at Gourmet Foods International in Decatur and organized by the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The popular contest features market-ready products from small businesses across the state of Georgia.