Production of allitol from D-psicose by a novel isolated strain of Klebsiella oxytoca G4A4

A novel bacterium capable of producing allitol from D-psicose was isolated from soil and identified as Klebsiella oxytoca G4A4. An efficient method for the transformation of D-psicose to allitol was achieved through the resting cell reaction. Ribitol as an inducer is suitable for cell cultivation, and cells are most active in Tris-HCl buffer (pH 8.0) at 37 degrees C with a density of 40 (OD600nm). After the reaction, the final conversion rates of the washed cells were approximately 87, 83, and 55% at D-psicose concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, and 1%, respectively. The product from D-psicose was purified and determined to be allitol by high-performance liquid chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.