Ethanol and chitosan production from wheat hydrolysate by Mucor hiemalis

Abstract

AbstractBACKGROUND: High glucose and ethanol tolerance is among the most important requirements of ethanol‐producing microorganisms. The purpose of this study was evaluation of filamentous fungus Mucor hiemalis for ethanol production from wheat and starch hydrolysates with high glucose concentration.RESULTS: The results showed high tolerance of the fungus in fermentation of the hydrolyzates with high glucose concentrations (as high as 190 g L−1). Interestingly, increasing the glucose concentration from 15 to 190 g L−1 was accompanied by enhancement of initial sugar uptake rate. Ethanol was the most important metabolite obtained during all fermentations and its concentration reached over 50 g L−1. Beside ethanol, chitosan was another valuable product of the process. Glucosamine, a precursor of chitosan, made up 37.3–46.7% of the cell wall of this fungus.CONCLUSIONS: M. hiemalis is a promising microorganism for simultaneous production of ethanol and chitosan from substrates with high sugar concentrations. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry