Interaction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae-Lactobacillus fermentum-Dekkera bruxellensis and feedstock on fuel ethanol fermentation.

The alcoholic fermentation for fuel ethanol production in Brazil occurs in the presence of several microorganisms present with the starter strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in sugarcane musts. It is expected that a multitude of microbial interactions may exist and impact on the fermentation yield. The yeast Dekkera bruxellensis and the bacterium Lactobacillus fermentum are important and frequent contaminants of industrial processes, although reports on the effects of both microorganisms simultaneously in ethanolic fermentation are scarce. The aim of this work was to determine the effects and interactions of both contaminants on the ethanolic fermentation carried out by the industrial yeast S. cerevisiae PE-2 in two different feedstocks (sugarcane juice and molasses) by running multiple batch fermentations with the starter yeast in pure or co-cultures with D. bruxellensis and/or L. fermentum. The fermentations contaminated with D. bruxellensis or L. fermentum or both together resulted in a lower average yield of ethanol, but it was higher in molasses than that of sugarcane juice. The decrease in the CFU number of S. cerevisiae was verified only in co-cultures with both D. bruxellensis and L. fermentum concomitant with higher residual sucrose concentration, lower glycerol and organic acid production in spite of a high reduction in the medium pH in both feedstocks. The growth of D. bruxellensis was stimulated in the presence of L. fermentum resulting in a more pronounced effect on the fermentation parameters than the effects of contamination by each microorganism individually.

Deterioration and fermentability of energy cane juice / Deterioração e fermentabilidade do caldo de cana energia

ABSTRACT: The main interest in the energy cane is the bioenergy production from the bagasse. The juice obtained after the cane milling may constitute a feedstock for the first-generation ethanol units; however, little attention has been dedicated to this issue. In order to verify the feasibility of the energy cane juice as substrate for ethanol production, the objectives of this research were first to determine the microbiological characteristics and deterioration along the time of the juices from two clones of energy cane (Type I) and second, their fermentability as feedstock for utilization in ethanol distilleries. There was a clear differentiation in the bacterial and yeast development of the sugarcane juices assayed, being much faster in the energy canes than in sugarcane. The storage of juice for 8 hours at 30oC did not cause impact in alcoholic fermentation for any sample analyzed, although a significant bacterial growth was detected in this period. A decrease of approximately seven percentage points in the fermentative efficiency was observed for energy cane juice in relation to sugarcane in a 24-hour fermentation cycle with the baking yeast. Despite the faster deterioration, the present research demonstrated that the energy cane juice has potential to be used as feedstock in ethanol-producing industries. As far as we know, it is the first research to deal with the characteristics of deterioration and fermentability of energy cane juices.

RESUMO: O principal interesse na cana energia reside na produção de bioenergia a partir do bagaço. O caldo obtido após a moagem da cana pode se constituir em substrato para as unidades de produção de etanol de primeira geração, no entanto, pouca atenção tem sido dispensada a esta questão. O presente trabalho avaliou o caldo de cana energia obtido de dois clones Tipo I como substrato para a produção de etanol, com base na determinação das suas características microbiológicas e deterioração ao longo do tempo, em comparação com o caldo de cana-de-açúcar (variedade RB867515). Foi observada uma clara diferenciação quanto ao crescimento bacteriano e de leveduras nas amostras de caldo analisadas, sendo o crescimento mais rápido no caldo de cana energia que no caldo de cana-de-açúcar. A manutenção do caldo por 8 horas a 30oC não causou impacto sobre a fermentação etanólica para quaisquer das amostras analisadas, apesar do crescimento significativo de bactérias. Houve um decréscimo de aproximadamente sete pontos percentuais na eficiência da fermentação com caldo de cana energia em um ciclo fermentativo de 24 horas com a levedura da panificação, em relação ao caldo da cana-de-açúcar. Apesar de a deterioração do caldo da cana energia ter sido mais rápida que a apresentada pelo caldo de cana-de-açúcar, o presente trabalho demonstrou que o caldo de cana energia tem potencial para ser utilizado como substrato nas indústrias produtoras de etanol. Do que se tem conhecimento, esse é o primeiro trabalho que trata das características de deterioração e fermentabilidade do caldo de cana energia.