Abstract

There has been considerable increase in interest in the conversion of renewable resources into several essential products (for example, biofuel, amino acids, among others) over the last few years, as the potential impact of global warming is demanding technologies that close the carbon cycle. Utilization of the hemicellulose fraction from lignocellulosic biomass is an important factor to optimize for the economicallyl feasible products. The bioconversion of pentoses derived from hemicellulose remains a bottleneck in developing industrial production, as microbes either preferentially use glucose, or cannot use pentoses at all. Sugar cane bagasse is one of the best candidates to have large amount of hemicelluloses for industrial interest. The aim of this review paper is to study research conducted on pentose utilizing bacteria, a variety of effects during break down of hemicellulose and the industrial importance of those bacteria.

Key words: Lignocelluloses, hemicellulose, pentose, xylose.