Current approaches to efficient biotechnological production of ethanol

Abstract

Current researches on ethanol production and development deals with process engineering to improve bioprocessing steps. In this paper the key role of effective technologies is recognized through the analysis of major trends in industrial biotechnological process and optimization related to ethanol production. Yeast strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been used in baking, brewing, and wine-making industries, and were extensively studied in recent years for ethanol production, in which yeast cells are subject to improving of culture conditions, including nitrogen limitation, high temperature, ethanol inhibition, the osmotic stress from substrate sugars, and so on. Industrial yeasts must sense and response to the stress conditions rapidly and adapt to these adverse environmental factors by adjusting their metabolic activities to avoid substantial viability loss. The capability of cells to tolerate various stresses is one of the important criteria to select industrial strains for efficient ethanol fermentation.
Finally, some concluding considerations on current and future research tendencies in ethanol production are presented.