A model of furfural-inhibited growth and xylitol production by Candida magnoliae TISTR 5663

•Batch fermentation for producing the commercial sweetener xylitol is modeled.•Xylitol is produced from xylose in a two-stage yeast-based process.•Furfural found in xylose-rich hydrolysates benefits xylitol production.•Kinetics of production in furfural-containing media are reported.•Independent data are used to robustly validate the fermentation model.