Selection and Adaptation of Saccharomyces cerevisae to Increased Ethanol Tolerance and Production

A total of 24 yeast strains were tested for their capacity to produce ethanol, and of these, 8 were characterized by the best ethanol yields (73.11-81.78%). The most active mutant Saccharomyces cerevisiae ER-A, resistant to ethanol stress, was characterized by high resistance to acidic (pH 1.0 and 2.0), oxidative (1 and 2% of H2O2), and high temperature (45 and 52 degrees C) stresses. During cultivation under all stress conditions, the mutants showed a considerably increased viability ranging widely from about 1.04 to 3.94-fold in comparison with the parent strain S. cerevisiae ER. At an initial sucrose concentration of 150 g/l in basal medium A containing yeast extract and mineral salts, at 30 degrees C and within 72 It, the most active strain, S. cerevisiae ER-A, reached an ethanol concentration of 80 g/l, ethanol productivity of 1.1 g/l/h, and an ethanol yield (% of theoretical) of 99.13. Those values were significantly higher in comparison with parent strain (ethanol concentration 71 g/l and productivity of 0,99 g/l/h). The present study seems to confirm the high effectiveness of selection of ethanol-resistant yeast strains by adaptation to high ethanol concentrations, for increased ethanol production.