Ethanol fermentation of molasses by Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells immobilized onto sugar beet pulp

Natural adhesion of Saccharomyces cerevisiae onto sugar beet pulp (SBP) is a very simple and cheap immobilization method for retaining high cells density in the ethanol fermentation system. In the present study, yeast cells were immobilized by adhesion onto SBP suspended in the synthetic culture media under different conditions such as: glucose concentration (100, 120 and 150 g/l), inoculum concentration (5, 10 and 15 g/l dry mass) and temperature (25, 30, 35 and 40°C). In order to estimate the optimal immobilization conditions the yeast cells retention (R), after each immobilization experiment was analyzed. The highest R value of 0.486 g dry mass yeast /g dry mass SBP was obtained at 30°C, glucose concentration of 150 g/l, and inoculum concentration of 15 g/l. The yeast immobilized under these conditions was used for ethanol fermentation of sugar beet molasses containing 150.2 g/l of reducing sugar. Efficient ethanol fermentation (ethanol concentration of 70.57 g/l, fermentation efficiency 93.98%) of sugar beet molasses was achieved using S. cerevisiae immobilized by natural adhesion on SBP. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR-31002]