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Yeast selection for fuel ethanol production in Brazil

  1. Luiz C. Basso1,
  2. Henrique V. De Amorim2,
  3. Antonio J. De Oliveira2,
  4. Mario L. Lopes2

Article first published online: 22 AUG 2008

DOI: 10.1111/j.1567-1364.2008.00428.x

Issue

FEMS Yeast Research

FEMS Yeast Research

Special Issue: THEMATIC ISSUE: Alcoholic fermentation: beverages to biofuel

Volume 8, Issue 7, pages 1155–1163, November 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Basso, L. C., De Amorim, H. V., De Oliveira, A. J. and Lopes, M. L. (2008), Yeast selection for fuel ethanol production in Brazil. FEMS Yeast Research, 8: 1155–1163. doi: 10.1111/j.1567-1364.2008.00428.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Biological Science Department, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, USP, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil

  2. 2

    Fermentec, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil

*Correspondence: Luiz C. Basso, Biological Science Department, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, USP, PO Box 09, 13418-900 Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. Tel.:/fax: +55 19 3434 0394; e-mail lucbasso@esalq.usp.br

  1. Editor: Patrizia Romano

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 15 OCT 2008
  2. Article first published online: 22 AUG 2008
  3. Received 1 February 2008; revised 15 July 2008; accepted 15 July 2008.First published online 22 August 2008.

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Keywords:

  • fuel ethanol;
  • industrial fermentation;
  • ethanol yield;
  • yeast selection;
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae;
  • indigenous yeast

Abstract

Brazil is one of the largest ethanol biofuel producers and exporters in the world and its production has increased steadily during the last three decades. The increasing efficiency of Brazilian ethanol plants has been evident due to the many technological contributions. As far as yeast is concerned, few publications are available regarding the industrial fermentation processes in Brazil. The present paper reports on a yeast selection program performed during the last 12 years aimed at selecting Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains suitable for fermentation of sugar cane substrates (cane juice and molasses) with cell recycle, as it is conducted in Brazilian bioethanol plants. As a result, some evidence is presented showing the positive impact of selected yeast strains in increasing ethanol yield and reducing production costs, due to their higher fermentation performance (high ethanol yield, reduced glycerol and foam formation, maintenance of high viability during recycling and very high implantation capability into industrial fermenters). Results also suggest that the great yeast biodiversity found in distillery environments could be an important source of strains. This is because during yeast cell recycling, selective pressure (an adaptive evolution) is imposed on cells, leading to strains with higher tolerance to the stressful conditions of the industrial fermentation.

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