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Published on: October 24, 2016
Identification of Dekkera bruxellensis as a major contaminant yeast in continuous fuel ethanol fermentation
A T de Souza Liberal1, A C M Basílio, A do Monte Resende
1Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Aims:
To identify and characterize the main contaminant yeast species detected in fuel-ethanol production plants in Northeast region of Brazil by using molecular methods.
Methods And Results:
Total DNA from yeast colonies isolated from the fermentation must of industrial alcohol plants was submitted to PCR fingerprinting, D1/D2 28S rDNA sequencing and species-specific PCR analysis. The most frequent non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolates were identified as belonging to the species Dekkera bruxellensis, and several genetic strains could be discriminated among the isolates. The yeast population dynamics was followed on a daily basis during a whole crop harvesting period in a particular industry, showing the potential of D. bruxellensis to grow faster than S. cerevisiae in industrial conditions, causing recurrent and severe contamination episodes.
Conclusions:
The results showed that D. bruxellensis is one of the most important contaminant yeasts in distilleries producing fuel-ethanol from crude sugar cane juice, specially in continuous fermentation systems.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
Severe contamination of the industrial fermentation process by Dekkera yeasts has a negative impact on ethanol yield and productivity. Therefore, early detection of D. bruxellensis in industrial musts may avoid operational problems in alcohol-producing plants.
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