Yeast isolation and selection for bioethanol production from inulin hydrolysates

Abstract

In many countries bioethanol is already an alternative or a complement to gasoline. The bioalcohol production from Jerusalem artichokes has been studied since the end of XIX^th century. The ethanol production from Jerusalem artichoke consists in a saccharification and fermentation bioprocesses. In the saccharification step, the inulin, which is the most abundant carbohydrate in Jerusalem artichoke tubers, is hydrolyzed to fructose. Yeast strains for bioethanol production from Jerusalem artichoke have to have the ability to use fructose as substrate for alcoholic fermentation. The main objective of this study is isolation and selection of some yeast strains able for high yield bioethanol production from Jerusalem artichoke tubers. After selection a yeast strain able to production good yield of fermentation of fructose into ethanol was identified.