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Four mixed culture fermentations of grape must were carried out with Kluyveromyces thermotolerans strain TH941 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain SCM952. In the first culture, both yeasts were added together, whereas in the remaining three cultures S. cerevisiae was added 1, 2, and 3 days after the inoculation of K. thermotolerans. The growth and survival of the K. thermotolerans strain and the amount of the produced L-lactic acid depend on the time of inoculation of the S. cerevisiae strain and provided an effective acidification during alcoholic fermentation. The four cultures contained, respectively, at the end of fermentation 0.18, 1.80, 4.28, and 5.13 g L-lactic acid l -1 . The grape must with an initial pH of 3.50 was effectively acidified (70% increase in titratable acidity, 0.30 pH unit decrease) by the production of 5.13 g L-lactic acid l -1 .

Abstract:In the present study the potential of bioethanol production using carbohydrate-enriched biomass of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis was studied. For the saccharification of the carbohydrate-enriched biomass, four acids (H 2 SO 4 , HNO 3 , HCl and H 3 PO 4 ) were investigated. Each acid were used at four concentrations, 2.5 N, 1 N, 0.5 N and 0.25 N, and for each acid concentration the saccharification was conducted under four temperatures (40 °C, 60 °C, 80 °C and 100 °C). Higher acid concentrations gave in general higher reducing sugars (RS) yields (%, g RS /g Total sugars ) with higher rates, while the increase in temperature lead to higher rates at lower acid concentration. The hydrolysates then were used as substrate for ethanolic fermentation by a salt stress-adapted Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain. The bioethanol yield (%, g EtOH /g Biomass ) was significantly affected by the acid concentration used for the saccharification of the carbohydrates. The highest bioethanol yields of 16.32% ± 0.90% (g EtOH /g Biomass ) and 16.27% ± 0.97% (g EtOH /g Biomass ) were obtained in hydrolysates produced with HNO 3 0.5 N and H 2 SO 4 0.5 N, respectively.

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Double layer alginate beads coated with chitosan were constructed for the entrapment of yeast cells used in alcoholic fermentations. Several construction parameters of the beads were studied. Among these parameters were the composition of the inner and the outer layer, the initial cell loading, the concentration of chitosan in the coating solution. Improved bead behavior was noticed by the use of chitosan as a coating agent to double layer alginate beads. The mechanical strength and the stability of the beads were enhanced. The polyelectrolyte complex membrane of alginate-chitosan reduced significantly the leakage of the entrapped cells into the medium. The aim of this work was to define the optimal conditions for the construction of the double layer alginate beads coated with chitosan with the purpose of using them for the fermentation of carbohydrates.

Laboratory studies were conducted on microbial leaching of non‐sulphide nickel ores not amenable to conventional mineral processing operations. The results showed that extensive low‐grade laterite domestic sources are generally amenable to bioleaching when micro‐organisms were cultivated in the presence of the ore. Nickel recoveries were as high as 60% using hydroxycarboxylic acid producing strains of Aspergillus and Penicillium codes A3, P2. Cobalt recovery achieved was around 50%. Losses of soluble nickel in the fungal biomass were found to be 3.5–10.8%. Chemical analysis of the leach liquors showed the presence of significant amounts of citric, oxalic and other organic acids, indicating that leaching may be ascribed to the production of these metabolic products of fungal activity.

β-Glucan is a proven beneficial and valuable molecule for human and animal health systems. It can be incorporated as an ingredient in various functional foods and beverages. β-Glucan has been isolated from various biological sources, fungi, mushrooms, algae, plants, and bacteria. The yeast cell wall comprises a suitable target for the extraction and purification of β-glucan. Although there are various extraction techniques, significant differences are observed as the technique used affects the final yield and purity, molecular weight, biological activity, solubility, quality, and other biological and functional properties of the extracted β-glucan. The aim of this review is the evaluation of different extraction methods for the production of β-glucan from yeast biomass. Furthermore, the use of industrial spent yeast waste from breweries and the wine industry for biotechnological β-glucan production and the concept of green wineries and breweries are discussed.

Yeast β-glucan polysaccharide is a proven immunostimulant molecule for human and animal health. In recent years, interest in β-glucan industrial production has been increasing. The yeast cell wall is modified during the fermentation process for biomass production. The impact of environmental conditions on cell wall remodelling has not been extensively investigated. The aim of this research work was to study the impact of glucose and NaCl stress on β-glucan formation in the yeast cell wall during alcoholic fermentation and the assessment of the optimum fermentation phase at which the highest β-glucan yield is obtained. VIN 13 Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) strain was pre-cultured for 24 h with 0% and 6% NaCl and inoculated in a medium consisting of 200, 300, or 400 g/L glucose. During fermentation, 50 mL of fermented medium were taken periodically for the determination of Optical Density (OD), cell count, cell viability, cell dry weight, β-glucan concentration and β-glucan yield. Next, dry yeast cell biomass was treated with lytic enzyme and sonication. At the early stationary phase, the highest β-glucan concentration and yield was observed for non-NaCl pre-cultured cells grown in a medium containing 200 g/L glucose; these cells, when treated with enzyme and sonication, appeared to be the most resistant. Stationary is the optimum phase for cell harvesting for β-glucan isolation. NaCl and glucose stress impact negatively on β-glucan formation during alcoholic fermentation. The results of this work could comprise a model study for yeast β-glucan production on an industrial scale and offer new perspectives on yeast physiology for the development of antifungal drugs.