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An Integrated Fermentation-Ultrafiltration Process for the Production of Xanthan Gum from Whey Lactose

Award Information
Agency: Department of Agriculture
Branch: N/A
Contract: 2007-33610-18548
Agency Tracking Number: 2006-00284
Amount: $346,000.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 2007
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
4734 Bridle Path Ct.
Dublin, OH 43017
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 I-Ching Tang
 President
 (614) 761-1552
 bictang@sbcglobal.net
Business Contact
 I-Ching Tang
Title: President
Phone: (614) 761-1552
Email: bictang@sbcglobal.net
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

The goal of this project is to develop an integrated fermentation-ultrafiltration process for economical production of
xanthan gum from glucose and galactose present in a waste sugar stream from a galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)
production process. There are -80 billion lbs of cheese whey generated annually in the dairy industry and much of this
byproduct has no economical use at the present time and requires costly disposal because of its high biological oxygen
demand. We have developed an immobilized enzyme process to produce GOS from whey lactose. GOS is a prebiotic
with wide applications in human and animal foods. However, glucose and galactose are also produced in the process
and must be removed from GOS because these monosaccharides do not have and can reduce the prebiotic effect.
Xanthan gum is a microbial polysaccharide widely used as a suspending, stabilizing, and thickening agent in food and
oil-recovery industries. In this project, we will develop a novel, rotating fibrous bed bioreactor (RFBB) for cell
immobilization and fermentation to produce cell-free xanthan gum broth that can be readily concentrated and purified
by ultrafiltration. The RFBB can overcome mixing and aeration problems commonly associated with viscous
fermentation when carried out in conventional stirred tank bioreactors. The RFBB can double the reactor productivity
and reach a high xanthan gum concentration of more than 70 g/L (vs. less than 30 g/L). The effects of process
conditions on the final xanthan gum properties (viscosity, molecular weight, etc.) will be studied to evaluate the
feasibility of producing xanthan gum from glucose and galactose.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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