Hemicellulose, which contains glucose, xylose, and arabinose as the 3 main sugars, is an important renewable source for biorefinery. In this study, propionic acid production from glucose, xylose, or arabinose using Propionibacterium acidipropionici ATCC 4875 was investigated. Using xylose, the predominant sugar in hemicellulose, a final propionic acid concentration of 53.2 g l(-1) was obtained via fed-batch fermentation. Using corncob molasses, a waste by-product from xylitol production as a representative of hemicellulose hydrolysate, the final concentration of propionic acid was 71.8 g l(-1), with a corresponding productivity of 0.28 g l(-1) h(-1). The present study suggests that hemicellulose hydrolysate is an excellent carbon source for efficient propionic acid production by this strain. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.