Patent ID: 8367346

Claim:
A method for screening for bacteria that cannot utilize L-arabinose comprising: transforming bacteria that do not have xylose isomerase activity or an araBAD operon and that have xylitol dehydrogenase activity and L-ribulokinase activity, with a nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase, and contacting the bacteria with media comprising L-arabinose and D-xylose, wherein if the xylose reductase is a xylose-specific reductase, then the transformed bacteria cannot utilize L-arabinose and will grow on media comprising L-arabinose and D-xylose, and wherein if the xylose reductase is not a xylose-specific reductase, then the transformed bacteria can utilize L-arabinose and will not grow on media comprising L-arabinose and D-xylose.