The production of mannitol and higher mannosaccharide alcohols.

摘要

A method for hydrolyzing coffee extraction residue materials to produce manno-saccharides having a degree of polymerization from 1 to 10 and subsequently neutralizing and reducing said mixture of manno-saccharides to their corresponding alcohols. The coffee material, preferably spent coffee gounds from a commercial percolation system, is hydrolyzed in a Plug Flow tubular reactor in the presence of an acid catalyst, such as sulfuric acid. Depending on the time, temperature, pressure and catalyst concentration selected, manno-saccharide or mannose is produced. The manno-saccharides or mannose produced are separated from coffee residue material in the form of a syrup and neutralized with calcium hydroxide. The neutralized mixture of manno-saccharides or mannose is reduced to their corresponding alcohols or mannitol.