Removal of phenolic compounds from sugarcane syrup and impact on Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation for β‐farnesene production

Abstract

This work aimed to study for the first time the effects of phenolic compounds from sugarcane syrup on Saccharomyces cerevisiae β‐farnesene fermentation by removing them from this feedstock. Syrup purification was optimized through a central composite design using five types of activated charcoal: three contact times (1–24 h) and three adsorbent concentrations (10–150 g L−1). The optimal purification condition—charcoal pellets at 115 g L−1 and contact time of 12.5 h—led to 96.7% of phenolic compounds removal and 43.7% of syrup recovery. The effects of reducing phenolic content from approximately 7.0–0.3 mg L−1 in sugarcane syrup on yeast fermentation varied with the scale. An increase in biomolecule productivity was only observed in shake‐flasks (11%) and in biomass productivity only in the 2 L bioreactor (12%). Thus, phenolic compounds from sugarcane syrup do not influence β‐farnesene production at a large scale under the conditions tested.