Abstract
This work describes the effects of the presence of the yeast Dekkera bruxellensis and the bacterium Lactobacillus vini on the industrial production of ethanol from sugarcane fermentation. Both contaminants were quantified in industrial samples, and their presence was correlated to a decrease in ethanol concentration and accumulation of sugar. Then, laboratory mixed-cell fermentations were carried out to evaluate the effects of these presumed contaminants on the viability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the overall ethanol yield. The results showed that high residual sugar seemed the most significant factor arising from the presence of D. bruxellensis in the industrial process when compared to pure S. cerevisiae cultures. Moreover, when L. vini was added to S. cerevisiae cultures it did not appear to affect the yeast cells by any kind of antagonistic effect under stable fermentations. In addition, when L. vini was added to D. bruxellensis cultures, it showed signs of being able to stimulate the fermentative activity of the yeast cells in a way that led to an increase in the ethanol yield.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the distilleries for their help in the sampling procedure and for providing industrial data. This work was sponsored by the Bioethanol Research Network of the State of Pernambuco (CNPq-FACEPE/PRONEM program) and by the CNPq, CAPES and FACEPE agencies, which offered scholarship support.
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de Souza, R.B., Santos, B.M.d., de Fátima Rodrigues de Souza, R. et al. The consequences of Lactobacillus vini and Dekkera bruxellensis as contaminants of the sugarcane-based ethanol fermentation. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 39, 1645–1650 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-012-1167-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-012-1167-0