Microbial production of sweeteners and their industrial applications: Current status and future prospects

Abstract

Sweeteners are chemical compounds with sweet taste. They are categorized into six groups, namely artificial sweeteners, modified sugars, natural calorie sweeteners, natural zero-calorie sweeteners, sugars, and sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols, like xylitol, erythritol,  sorbitol, and mannitol are primarily produced via microbial processes. The increasing demand for natural, lowcalorie sweeteners is driven  by health-conscious consumers and regulatory efforts to reduce excessive sugar intake. Microbial production of sweeteners has  emerged as a sustainable and costeffective alternative to traditional sweetener production. Sugar alcohols can be efficiently produced via  microbial fermentation of their precursors. Applications of sweeteners range from confectionery to oral care products, cosmetics,  food and beverages and pharmaceutical products; thereby demonstrating the market potential of microbial-derived sweeteners.  Microbial-derived sweeteners range from less calorie to a zero-calorie sugar. More accessibility to the sugars has led to increasing  demand for scalable and economical microbial production methods. Advances in biotechnology have developed microbial strains that  convert renewable feedstocks into sugar alcohols with high yields and purity, boosting their commercial viability. Microbial biosynthesis can produce erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol and mannitol. Metabolic engineering continues to enhance strain performance, substrate utilization, and product yields, making microbial sweetener production more scalable and cost-effective. This review focuses on the  microbial production of sweeteners, their industrial production, current status and future prospects.