D-arabinitol can be employed as a sugar in the production of xylitol via biotransformation process. It is a substrate used to identify, differentiate and characterize enzyme such as the gluconobacter oxydans dehydrogenase(s), Gox2181, hyperthermophilic D-arabitol dehydrogenase from Thermotoga maritime and NAD-dependent D-arabitoldehydrogenase from acetic acid bacterium, Acetobacter suboxydans.