A statistical model was developed in this study to describe bioethanol production through a batch fermentation process of sugarcane molasses by locally isolated Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y-39. Response surface methodology RSM based on central composite face centered design CCFD was employed to statistically evaluate and optimize the conditions for maximum bioethanol production and study the significance and interaction of incubation period, initial pH, incubation temperature, and molasses concentration on bioethanol yield. With the use of the developed quadratic model equation, a maximum ethanol production of 255 g/L was obtained in a batch fermentation process at optimum operating conditions of approximately 71 h, pH 5.6, 38°C, molasses concentration 18% wt.%, and 100 rpm.

Pichia veronae strain HSC-22 (accession number KP012558) showed a good tolerance to relatively high temperature, ethanol and sugar concentrations. Response surface optimization based on central composite design of experiments predicted the optimal values of the influencing parameters that affect the production of bioethanol from sugarcane molasses to be as follows: initial pH 5, 25% (w : v) initial molasses concentration, 35°C, 116 rpm, and 60 h. Under these optimum operating conditions the maximum bioethanol production on a batch fermenter scale was recorded as 32.32 g/L with 44% bioethanol yield.

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Egypt faces a high population growth rate nowadays, which demands for an increase in agricultural production efficiency. Consequently, agricultural field residues will increase. Rice straw is one of the main agriculture residues in Egypt. So this study was performed on rice straw as a resource for production of bioethanol. Eight microbial isolates, five yeasts and three fungi were isolated from rice straw. Yeast isolates were selected for their ability to utilize different sugars and cellulose. Chipped and grinded rice straw was subjected to different pretreatment methods physically through steam treatment by autoclaving and different doses of gamma γ irradiation (50 and 70 Mrad). Autoclaved pretreated rice straw was further enzymatically treated throughout solid state fermentation process by different fungal isolates; F68, F94 and F98 producing maximum total reducing sugars of 12.62, 13.58, 17.00 g/L, respectively. Bioethanol production by separate microbial hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) process of rice straw hydrolysate was performed by the two selected fungal isolates; Trichoderma viride F94 and Aspergillus terreus F98 and two yeast isolates (Y26 and Y39). The two yeast isolates have been identified by 18S, RNA as Candida tropicalis Y26 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y39. SHF processes by F94 and Y26 produced 45 gallon/ton rice straw while that of F98 and Y39 produced 50 gallon/ton rice straw.

Sugar fatty acid esters, especially glucose fatty acid esters (GEs), have broad applications in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. In this research, the fatty acid moieties derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids containing single-cell oils (SCOs) ( i.e., those produced from Cunninghamella echinulata, Umbelopsis isabellina and Nannochloropsis gaditana, as well as from olive oil and an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrate) were converted into GEs by enzymatic synthesis, using lipases as biocatalysts. The GE synthesis was monitored using thin-layer chromatography, FTIR and in situ NMR. It was found that GE synthesis carried out using immobilized Candida antarctica B lipase was very effective, reaching total conversion of reactants. It was shown that EPA-GEs were very effective against several pathogenic bacteria and their activity can be attributed to their high EPA content. Furthermore, C. echinulata-GEs were more effective against pathogens compared with U. isabellina-GEs, probably due to the presence of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) in the lipids of C. echinulata, which is known for its antimicrobial activity, in higher concentrations. C. echinulata-GEs also showed strong insecticidal activity against Aedes aegypti larvae, followed by EPA-GEs, olive oil-GEs and N. gaditana-GEs. All synthesized GEs induced apoptosis of the SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line, with the apoptotic rate increasing significantly after 48 h. A higher percentage of apoptosis was observed in the cells treated with EPA-GEs, followed by C. echinulata-GEs, U. isabellina-GEs and olive oil-GEs. We conclude that SCOs can be used in the synthesis of GEs with interesting biological properties.

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Fatty acid amides (FAAs) are of great interest due to their broad industrial applications. They can be synthesized enzymatically with many advantages over chemical synthesis. In this study, the fatty acid moieties of lipids of Cunninghamella echinulata ATHUM 4411, Umbelopsis isabellina ATHUM 2935, Nannochloropsis gaditana CCAP 849/5, Olive oil and an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrate were converted into their fatty acid methyl esters and used in the FAA (i.e. ethylene diamine amides) enzymatic synthesis, using lipases as biocatalysts. The FAA synthesis, monitored using in situ NMR, FT-IR and thin-layer chromatography, was catalyzed efficiently by the immobilized Candida rugosa lipase. The synthesized FAAs exhibited a significant antimicrobial activity, especially those containing oleic acid in high proportions (i.e. derived from Olive oil and U. isabellina oil), against several human pathogenic microorganisms, insecticidal activity against yellow fever mosquito, especially those of C. echinulata containing gamma linolenic acid, and anti-cancer properties against SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line, especially those containing EPA in their structures (i.e. EPA concentrate and N. gaditana oil). We conclude that FAAs can be efficiently synthesized using microbial oils of different fatty acid composition and used in specific biological applications.