On the Formation of Reducing Sugars in Thermophilic Cellulose Fermentation.

Abstract

Glucose and cellobiose as well as some higher oligosaccharides are found as the end-products of the anaerobic fermentation of cellulose by a pure culture of a thermophile. The reducing power of the higher sugars was measured after fermentation of the glucose with baker''s yeast. Glucose and cellobiose were separated from the metabolic filtrate by a procedure based on the differential solubility of these sugars in absolute alcohol. Cellobiose was identified by m. p. of its osazone. Cellobiose is fermented by this organism at a faster rate than glucose. Other sugars fermented at a lesser rate are arabinose, xylose, and fructose.