Production of d-talitol from d-psicose by Candida famata R28

A halotolerant yeast strain R28 that can convert d-psicose to d-talitol was isolated from soy sauce mash and identified as Candida famata. The cells grown on l-sorbose were found to have the best conversion potential. C. famata R28 converted d-psicose to d-talitol at a faster rate in the presence of various carbohydrates such as erythritol, d-sorbitol, ribitol and glycerol in the reaction mixture. At 10% substrate concentration, the conversion ratio was above 90% using washed cells when 5% d-sorbitol was added to the reaction mixture. Moreover, for production of d-talitol by a fermentation reaction with C. famata R28, the conversion ratio was about 80% at 10% substrate concentration, and more than 98% of the substrate consumed was converted to d-talitol.