Chitin supplement speeds up the ethanol production in cane molasses fermentation

Abstract

Different carbohydrates, mostly polysaccharides, were studied for their effect on ethanol production from cane molasses under batch fermentation conditions using industrial yeast strains, Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCIM 3526 and S. uvarum NCIM 3509. There is a marked increase in the rate of ethanol production in the presence of polysaccharides like chitin, xylan, and acacia gum at 0.2% concentration. Chitin, a waste product and a cheap material, produces 6%–6.9% (w/v) ethanol after approximately 30 h at 30°C from cane molasses containing 18% reducing sugars as compared to a period of 72 h in its absence. Chitin supplementation thus reduces the fermentation time and may lead to a decrease in the cost of ethanol production. It will also help to utilize more molasses with the existing batch fermentation technology. Our report of using chitin and other polysaccharides to accelerate the rate of ethanol production is the first of its kind so far.