The invention describes products, uses thereof, compositions thereof, and methods to prepare products formed from Maillard reaction products from a sugar donor and/or sweet tea extracts, stevia extracts, swingle (mogroside) extracts, one or more sweet tea extract components, one or more steviol glycosides, one or more mogrosides, one or more glycosylated sweet tea glycosides, one or more glycosylated steviol glycosides or one or more glycosylated mogrosides and an amine donor/reactant.

Related to are a device and a method for performing continuous carbonation and impurity removal for xylose mother liquor. The device includes an alkali addition unit, a continuous carbonating unit, a discharge controlling unit, a CO.sub.2 supply station, a vapor station and an after-carbonation tank, wherein the alkali addition unit is configured to add Ca(OH).sub.2 alkaline liquid into xylose mother liquor, the continuous carbonating unit is configured to introduce CO.sub.2 supplied from the CO.sub.2 supply station into the alkali-added xylose mother liquor to perform carbonation and mixing so as to remove impurities such as colloid and pigment in xylose mother liquor, the discharge controlling unit is configured to introduce CO.sub.2 supplied from the CO.sub.2 supply station and vapor transported from the vapor station into the carbonated xylose mother liquor so as to control and stabilize a pH value of the carbonated xylose mother liquor, and the after-carbonation tank is configured to collect and temporarily store the carbonated and impurity-removed xylose mother liquor so as to prepare for a next procedure. Further, a method using the device is disclosed. According to the device and the method, the pH of xylose mother liquor is continuously regulated and stabilized and continuous feeding and discharge are performed with highly automated device so as to achieve continuous and uninterrupted production, and thus facilitate improving the production efficiency.

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and compositions for the uniform pretreatment of biomass within seconds with low inhibitor formation. The pretreatment process is used to convert biomass to a fuel, sugars, or other useful chemicals by subjecting the feedstock to a rapid retention time under pressure and temperature and/or chemical reactant. The system includes at least one high pressure, steam impermiable plug and a continuously-operating valve discharge apparatus to discharge pretreated feedstock while maintaining uniform pressure on the pretreatment system.

An integrated process and corresponding apparatus that produces a relatively clean, delignified cellulose product from lignocellulosic biomass. The method includes treating a portion of the delignified cellulose itself as a substrate to produce on-site cellulolytic enzymes, including further treating the remaining delignified cellulose with the resulting cellulolytic enzymes for in situ enzymatic hydrolysis. The process and apparatus are useful to produce fermentable sugars for cost-effective manufacturing of fermentable sugars, fuels, bioproducts and chemicals.

Sweetener and flavor compositions with improved taste profiles are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of making and methods of using such sweetener and flavor compositions.

A process for obtaining aqueous hydrolysates from solid material containing hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin. The process comprises hydrolysing at least part of the hemicellulose of the solid material with a first aqueous hydrochloric acid solution at a concentration of 15-40 wt %, yielding a remaining solid material and an aqueous first hydrolysate product solution. The aqueous first hydrolysate is displaced from the remaining solid material with a non-aqueous displacement fluid having a density of less than 1000 kg/m.sup.3. Thereafter, at least part of the cellulose of the remaining solid material is hydrolysed with a second aqueous hydrochloric acid solution at a concentration of 40-51 wt %, yielding a residue and an aqueous second hydrolysate product solution. This process is carried out in vertical cylindrical reactors, and the displacement fluid is supplied to a reactor in a downward fashion.

A method for separating hemicellulose and lignin from a miscellaneous sugar liquid, in particular a method for separating xylose and lignin from a miscellaneous sugar liquid, is provided. The method solves the problem of lignin carbonization and fouling in the hydrolysis reaction process of the miscellaneous sugar liquid mixed solution. By adding an organic solvent, the lignin separated out in the hydrolysis reaction process is dissolved in the organic solvent component, so the situation that the carbonization and fouling of lignin in a reactor generates substances unfavorable for actual production is avoided. Moreover, the lignin is well protected in the organic solvent, and the lignin obtained in a later period has high reaction activity and excellent performance.

Method for extraction of biomass with water in order to separate hemicelluloses from a fibrous structure. The biomass is impregnated under reduced pressure with the extraction fluid in order to prevent the degradation of the components to be extracted. During extraction the extract is circulated through the fiber matrix in order to remove unwanted components from the extract. The extract is reused for extracting untreated biomass in order to increase the consistency of the extract.

The invention relates to a process for the liquid-phase separation of xylose from a mixture of C5 and C6 sugars comprising at least xylose and glucose, by adsorption of xylose on a zeolitic adsorbent based on FAU-type zeolite crystals having an Si/Al atomic ratio of less than or equal to 1.5 comprising barium, wherein: said mixture is brought into contact with said adsorbent, by liquid chromatography, to obtain a glucose-enriched liquid phase and a xylose-enriched adsorbed phase; on the one hand, said glucose-enriched liquid phase is recovered and said phase adsorbed on said adsorbent is desorbed by means of a desorption solvent in order to recover the xylose on the other hand.

Sweetener and flavor compositions with improved taste profiles are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of making and methods of using such sweetener and flavor compositions.