Abstract
Calcium is an important input during ethanol production through fermentation of sugarcane juice and many sugar mills face problems due to increased concentration of calcium. This calcium is produced during the clarification process, and when the raw material showed high levels of aconitic acid, or process errors, it results in a high level of this element in the must. However, there are no reports of lower calcium levels in the must resulting in inadequate fermentation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of calcium on yeast fermentation. The musts were prepared using organic sugar and distilled water in the ratio of 16 g/L, calcium hydroxide dosed up to 0, 300, 600, 900 and 1200 mg/L. Pressed biological yeast was inoculated. At the beginning and end of the fermentation, the cell viability, budding and bud viability were quantified. The wine was analyzed for Brix, glycerol and alcohol content. We observed that 1200 mg/L of calcium decreased the amount of live cells during the fermentation process, which results in leftover sugars and a decrease in alcoholic content and fermentative efficiency.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Amorim, H.V. 2005. Fermentação alcoólica: ciência e tecnologia. Piracicaba: Fermentec.
Basso, L.C., T.O. Basso, and S.N. Rocha. 2011. Ethanol production in Brazil: The industrial process and its impact on yeast fermentation. In Biofuel production: Recent development and prospects, 85–100. São Paulo: INTECH e-book.
Copersucar. 2001. Manual de controle químico da fabricação de açúcar. Piracicaba: Copersucar.
Costa, G.H.G. 2016. Índice elevado de ácido aconítico aumenta consumo de cálcio. Jornal Cana 272: 68.
Fernandes, A.C. 2003. Cálculos na agroindústria de cana-de-açúcar. Piracicaba: EME/STAB.
Macri, R.C.V., G.H.G. Costa, N.A. Montijo, A.F. Silva, and M.J.R. Mutton. 2014. Moringa extracts used in sugarcane juice treatment and effects on ethanolic fermentation. African Journal of Biotechnology 13 (42): 4124–4130. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB2014.14025.
Montijo, N.A., A.F. Silva, G.H.G. Costa, O.E. Ferreira, and M.J.R. Mutton. 2014. Yeast CA-11 fermentation in musts treated with brown and green propolis. African Journal of Microbiology Research 8 (39): 3515–3522. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJMR2014.6937.
Rees, E.M.R., and G.G. Stewart. 1997. The effects of increased magnesium and calcium concentration on yeast fermentation performance in high gravity worts. Journal of the Institute of Brewing 103: 287–291.
Steindl, R.J. 2010. Clarification of cane juice for fermentation. XXVII ISSCT 2010 CONGRESS, 1–10.
UNICA—União Canavieira do Estado de São Paulo. 2017. Veículos automotores, 2017. http://www.unicadata.com.br/listagem.php?idMn=55. Accessed 27 Jun 2017.
Walker, G.M. 1998. Yeast physiology and biotechnology. Baltimore: Wiley.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Gustavo Henrique Gravatim Costa is supervisor of the research. Richelly Caroline Messias and Lucas Conegundes Nogueira are laboratory analyzers. Eduardo do Valle Lozando and Letícia Murador Blanco are statistics analyzers and results interpreters.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest with financial, academic, commercial, political or personal.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Costa, G.H.G., Messias, R.C., Lozano, E.d. et al. The Effect of Calcium Concentration on the Physiology of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yeast in Fermentation. Sugar Tech 20, 371–374 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-018-0603-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-018-0603-5