Production of ethanol and xylanolytic enzymes by yeasts inhabiting rotting wood isolated in sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate.

Yeasts associated with rotting wood from four Atlantic Rain forest sites in Brazil were investigated using a culture medium based on sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate. A total of 330 yeast strains were isolated. Pichia manshurica, Candida pseudolambica, and Wickerhamomyces sp. 3 were the most frequently isolated species. Fourteen novel species were obtained in this study. All isolates were tested for their ability to ferment d-xylose and to produce xylanases. In the fermentation assays using d-xylose (30 g L-1), the main ethanol producers were Scheffersomyces stipitis (14.08 g L-1), Scheffersomyces sp. (7.94 g L-1) and Spathaspora boniae (7.16 g L-1). Sc. stipitis showed the highest ethanol yield (0.42 g g-1) and the highest productivity (0.39 g L-1h-1). The fermentation results using hemicellulosic hydrolysate showed that Sc. stipitis was the best ethanol producer, achieving a yield of 0.32 g g-1, while Sp. boniae and Scheffersomyces sp. were excellent xylitol producers. The best xylanase-producing yeasts at 50 °C belonged to the species Su. xylanicola (0.487 U mg-1) and Saitozyma podzolica (0.384 U mg-1). The results showed that rotting wood collected from the Atlantic Rainforest is a valuable source of yeasts able to grow in sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate, including species with promising biotechnological properties.

D-Xylose fermentation, xylitol production and xylanase activities by seven new species of Sugiyamaella.

Sixteen yeast isolates identified as belonging to the genus Sugiyamaella were studied in relation to D-xylose fermentation, xylitol production, and xylanase activities. The yeasts were recovered from rotting wood and sugarcane bagasse samples in different Brazilian regions. Sequence analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the D1/D2 domains of large subunit rRNA gene showed that these isolates belong to seven new species. The species are described here as Sugiyamaella ayubii f.a., sp. nov. (UFMG-CM-Y607T = CBS 14108T), Sugiyamaella bahiana f.a., sp. nov. (UFMG-CM-Y304T = CBS 13474T), Sugiyamaella bonitensis f.a., sp. nov. (UFMG-CM-Y608T = CBS 14270T), Sugiyamaella carassensis f.a., sp. nov. (UFMG-CM-Y606T = CBS 14107T), Sugiyamaella ligni f.a., sp. nov. (UFMG-CM-Y295T = CBS 13482T), Sugiyamaella valenteae f.a., sp. nov. (UFMG-CM-Y609T = CBS 14109T) and Sugiyamaella xylolytica f.a., sp. nov. (UFMG-CM-Y348T = CBS 13493T). Strains of the described species S. boreocaroliniensis, S. lignohabitans, S. novakii and S. xylanicola, isolated from rotting wood of Brazilian ecosystems, were also compared for traits relevant to xylose metabolism. S. valenteae sp. nov., S. xylolytica sp. nov., S. bahiana sp. nov., S. bonitensis sp. nov., S. boreocarolinensis, S. lignohabitans and S. xylanicola were able to ferment D-xylose to ethanol. Xylitol production was observed for all Sugiyamaella species studied, except for S. ayubii sp. nov. All species studied showed xylanolytic activity, with S. xylanicola, S. lignohabitans and S. valenteae sp. nov. having the highest values. Our results suggest these Sugiyamaella species have good potential for biotechnological applications.