Bioethanol made from lignocelluloses biomass resources, provides unique
environmental, economic and strategic benefits, when compared to gasoline as automobile fuel. To
be able to substitute gasoline by bioethanol, one should over come many obstacles, including the
production of furfural and hydroxyl-methyl furfural, which are produced when cellulosic materials
are treated in the presence of acids in high temperature and pressure to produce simple sugars.
These inhibitory compounds have a profound negative effect on the growth of ethanol producing
yeasts and their ethanol production.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Lalvin EC1118™, an industrial
ethanologenic strain, was used in media with high concentrations of furfural (i.e. 4, 5 and 6 g/L) to
study the tolerance it shows against this compound. Results showed that both the amount of
growth and ethanol production were decreased when furfural was present in the media. The amount
of decrease was higher in the concentration of 6 g/L of furfural than 4 and 5 g/L.
