Transcriptional profiling of Brazilian Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains selected for semi-continuous fermentation of sugarcane must.

Brazil played a pioneering role in the global establishment of the sugarcane bioethanol industry. The bioethanol fermentation process currently used in Brazil is unique due to the acid wash and recycling of yeast cells. Two, industrially adopted, wild yeast strains, CAT-1 and PE-2, have become the most widely used in Brazil. How these strains respond to the unique fermentation process is poorly understood. The improved performance of CAT-1 and PE-2 is hypothesised to be related to enhanced stress tolerance. This study presents a genome-wide analysis of the CAT-1 and PE-2 transcriptomes during a small-scale fermentation process that mimicked the industrial conditions. The common and unique transcriptional responses of the two strains to the Brazilian fermentation process were identified. Environmental stress response genes were up-regulated postfermenter feeding, demonstrating the impact of the prior acid wash and high glucose environment. Cell wall and oxidative stress tolerance were subsequently demonstrated to be enhanced for the industrial strains. Conversely, numerous genes involved in protein synthesis were down-regulated at the end of fermentation revealing the later impact of ethanol-induced stress. Subsequently, the industrial strains demonstrated a greater tolerance of ethanol and the disruption of endoplasmic reticulum homoeostasis. This increased ethanol tolerance was finally correlated with an increased unfolded protein response and increased HAC1 splicing.

Potentiometric flow injection determination of glycerol in distilled spirits.

A single-line flow injection system including a tubular periodate-selective electrode without inner reference solution is proposed for glycerol determination in distilled spirits, based on oxidation of this polyol by periodate. Interferences due to 5.0 mg L(-1) Cu, 5000 mg L(-1) sucrose, and 3000 mg L(-1) fructose plus glucose were investigated. The procedure is characterized by a linear response for 20-500 mg L(-1) glycerol (r > 0.9999, n = 7), a relative standard deviation of results of <0.03, and an analytical throughput of 30 determinations per hour. Accuracy was assessed by applying the procedure to distilled spirits of sugarcane and grape already analyzed by HPLC; in addition, recoveries within 96 and 120% were obtained.

A critical examination of the components of the Schlieren effect in flow analysis.

The Schlieren effect is a consequence of light inflexions altering the spectrophotometric measurements that are due to the formation of optical artefacts such as mirror and lenses inside the flowing sample. It may influence signal-to-noise ratio, sample throughput and measurement repeatability in spectrophotometric flow-based procedures. It was critically examined, in order to provide guidelines for system design. Results demonstrate that the magnitude of the Schlieren effect is governed by the combined influence of two components. The first is related to loss of light by reflection at sharp liquid interfaces and prevails under poor mixing conditions. In this situation the transmitted light becomes more intense and somewhat erratic. The second is related to light refraction in regions with pronounced refractive index gradients, and prevails under good mixing conditions. It can lead to positive or negative modifications of the transmitted light, the direction being dependent on the relevance of these components. The importance of the solubility of the chemical species involved, the possibility of interactions with the inner wall of the tubing, and the feasibility of dual-wavelength spectrophotometry for compensating purposes are discussed.

Exploiting gas diffusion for non-invasive sampling in flow analysis: determination of ethanol in alcoholic beverages.

A tubular gas diffusion PTFE membrane is exploited for non-invasive sampling in flow analysis, aiming to develop an improved spectrophotometric determination of ethanol in alcoholic beverages. The probe is immersed into the sample, allowing ethanol to diffuse through the membrane. It is collected into the acceptor stream (acidic dichromate solution), leading to formation of Cr(III), monitored at 600 nm. The analytical curve is linear up to 50% (v/v) ethanol, baseline drift is < 0.005 absorbance during four working-hours, and sample throughput is 30 h(-1), meaning 0.6 mmol K2Cr2O7 per determination. Results are precise (r.s.d.< 2%) and in agreement with an official procedure.

Exploiting gas diffusion for non-invasive sampling in flow analysis: determination of ethanol in alcoholic beverages

Uma membrana tubular de PTFE permeável a espécies gasosas foi empregada como sonda em sistemas de análises em fluxo visando a proposta de uma estratégia de amostragem não invasiva. Como aplicação, foi selecionada a determinação espectrofotométrica de etanol em bebidas alcoólicas. A sonda é imersa na amostra, permitindo que o analito se difunda através desta e seja coletado pelo fluxo aceptor (solução ácida de dicromato), levando à formação de Cr(III), o qual é monitorado a 600 nm. Linearidade da curva analítica é verificada até 50,0% (v/v) de etanol (r > 0,998; n = 8), derivas de linha base são menores do que 0,005 absorbância durante períodos de 4 horas de operação e a velocidade analítica é de 30 h-1 o que corresponde a 0.6 mmol K2Cr2O7 por determinação. Os resultados são precisos (d.p.r. < 2%) e concordantes com aqueles obtidos por um método oficial.