Patent ID: 7314528

Claim:
A process of removing crystallization inhibitors from a solution comprising at least one reducing monosaccharide sugar selected from xylose, fructose and corresponding sugar alcohol of said reducing monosaccharide sugar, followed by crystallization of said xylose or fructose or corresponding sugar alcohol, comprising subjecting said solution to one or more purification steps selected from nanofiltration and optionally hydrolysis and chromatography, whereby said xylose or fructose or corresponding sugar alcohol thereof is recovered in the nanofiltration permeate and said crystallization inhibitors are recovered in the nanofiltration retentate, and subjecting said nanofiltration permeate containing said xylose or fructose or corresponding sugar alcohol thereof to a crystallization process selected from boiling crystallization, cooling crystallization, precipitation crystallization and combinations thereof, to produce crystals of said xylose or fructose or corresponding sugar alcohol thereof, and collecting the crystals by centrifugation and filtering.