The isolation of pentose-assimilating yeasts and their xylose fermentation potential

ABSTRACT For the implementation of cellulosic ethanol technology, the maximum use of lignocellulosic materials is important to increase efficiency and to reduce costs. In this context, appropriate use of the pentose released by hemicellulose hydrolysis could improve de economic viability of this process. Since the Saccharomyces cerevisiae is unable to ferment the pentose, the search for pentose-fermenting microorganisms could be an alternative. In this work, the isolation of yeast strains from decaying vegetal materials, flowers, fruits and insects and their application for assimilation and alcoholic fermentation of xylose were carried out. From a total of 30 isolated strains, 12 were able to assimilate 30 g L-1 of xylose in 120 h. The strain Candida tropicalis S4 produced 6 g L-1 of ethanol from 56 g L-1 of xylose, while the strain C. tropicalis E2 produced 22 g L-1 of xylitol. The strains Candida oleophila G10.1 and Metschnikowia koreensis G18 consumed significant amount of xylose in aerobic cultivation releasing non-identified metabolites. The different materials in environment were source for pentose-assimilating yeast with variable metabolic profile.

Selection of Xilose-Fermenting Yeast Strains

ABSTRACT In Brazil, ethanol is obtained by fermentat of sugar cane juice using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The cane juice extraction generates the bagasse that has been used for obtaining generation biofuel. However, the sugarcane bagasse has 30% pentose that cannot be fermented to ethanol by S. cerevisiae. Thus the aim of this study was to isolate a yeast able to ferment xylose to ethanol. Samples of cane juice and flowers were used for the isolation of 165 strains that were then screened for ethanol production using plate testing. Among them, the ethanol positive strains Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Starmerella meliponinorum were selected for a xylose fermentation assay, using a semi-synthetic and bagasse hydrolysate as must. S. meliponinorum and S. pombe produced 0.63 and 2.7 gL-1 of ethanol, respectively, from xylose in a semisynthetic medium. In the medium consisting of bagasse hydrolysate must, 0.67 and 1.1 gL-1 of ethanol were obtained from S. meliponinorum and S. pombe, respectively. All the yeasts produced xylitol from xylose in the semisynthetic medium and S. meliponinorum was that which produced the highest quantity (14.5 g L-1).

Penicillium expansum versus antagonist yeasts and patulin degradation in vitro

Taking into account the preliminary antagonistic/biodegradation property showed by Pichia membranifaciens and Sporobolomyces roseus, which decreased the initial patulin concentration of 588.4 to 290.0 mug/mL, ability of P. ohmeri 158 in biocontrol against Penicillium expansum and patulin decrease in vitro was performed. The culture supernatant of P. ohmeri 158 was effective against 66.17 percent micelial growth, indicating antibiosis related with the killer phenomenon. The initial patulin concentration of 223 mug in the presence of P. ohmeri 158 cells was decreased over 83 percent of the original concentration, when incubated at 25°C/2 days and > 99 percent after 5 days incubation time, with undetectable patulin level after 15 days. The initial pH 4.0 decreased to pH 3.3 along 15 days experiment, suggesting that patulin decrease was an active process and a consequence of yeast metabolism. The results suggested that P. ohmeri 158 could be a promising alternative for the inhibition of P. expansum growth and patulin degradation.

Considerando o antagonismo e degradação de patulina detectados em Pichia membranifaciens e Sporobolomyces roseus no estudo preliminar, este trabalho avaliou o efeito antagônico de Pichia ohmeri 158 no desenvolvimento de Penicillium expansum e a degradação de patulina "in vitro". O sobrenadante do cultivo de P. ohmeri 158 inibiu 66,17 por cento do desenvolvimento micelial, indicando antibiose relacionada ao fator killer. A concentração inicial de patulina (223 mug) na presença de células íntegras de P. ohmeri foi reduzida em mais de 83 por cento após dois dias de incubação a 25°C e superior a 99 por cento após 5 dias, com níveis indetectáveis no 15° dia. O decréscimo do pH 4,0 inicial para pH 3,3 sugeriu que a eliminação de patulina é um processo ativo e uma conseqüência do metabolismo da levedura. Os resultados obtidos concluem que P. ohmeri 158 é uma alternativa promissora na inibição do desenvolvimento de P. expansum e na degradação de patulina.