Abstract

DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND COMPARISON OF FERMENTATIVE PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL BY FREE AND IMMOBILIZED SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE UNDER STATIONARY CULTURE

*Arulraj P, Kandasamy C S, Bhuvaneswari A, Venkatanarayanan R

ABSTRACT

Background: The aim of the present study is to design, develop and compare the production capacity of free and immobilized yeast cells and the difference in the yield of the ethanol by fermentation technology. The utility of the alcohol per annum is increasing day by day as the number of industries using ethanol as a solvent, pharmaceutical aid and in beverages. Hence the production of ethanol by fermentation technology has triggered us to investigate the best way and method to produce ethanol for the benefit of Pharmaceutical Industry. Method: The conventional method of production of alcohol was performed by aerobic batch type of fermentation: the yield was noted. The same production was performed by using immobilized yeast cells by gel entrapment technique. We produced ethanol by free and immobilized saccharomyces cerevisiae under stationary culture. Cane molasses was used as a sugar source for about (12 – 21%), medium pH (4-5.5). incubation temperature (250c-300c), volume of fermentation medium (200 – 350ml) and reuse of immobilized yeast cells. Result: Rate of ethanol production was maximal yeast cells. The results indicate that 2gm vegetative cells of yeast on utilizing molasses at 15% sugar concentration with medium pH 4.5 at 30oC. Conclusion: Hence we conclude that the fermentation optimization and the yield value of popular organic solvent (ethanol) was studied and reported. The specific gravity of the distillated alcohol by free and immobilized yeast cells were found to be 0.9730, 0.9705 at room temperature and the alcohol content was found to be 85%, 93.52% as per International Pharmacopeia respectively.

Keywords: Fermentation of ethanol, batch type culture, immobilized cells, saccharomyces cerevisiae.