Alcohol production by selected yeast strains in lactase‐hydrolyzed acid whey

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Abstract
Ethanol production by Kluyveromyces fragilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was studied using cottage cheese whey in which 80 to 90% of the lactose present had been prehydrolyzed to glucose and galactose. Complete fermentation of the sugar by K. fragilis required 120 hr at 30°C in lactase‐hydrolyzed whey compared to 72 hr in nonhydrolyzed whey. This effect was due to a diauxic fermentation pattern in lactase‐hydrolyzed whey with glucose being fermented before galactose. Ethanol yields of about 2% were obtained in both types of whey when K. fragilis was the organism used for fermentation. Saccharomyces cerevisiae produced alcohol from glucose more rapidly than K. fragilis, but galactose was fermented only when S. cerevisiae was pregrown on galactose. Slightly lower alcohol yields were obtained with S. cerevisiae, owing to the presence of some lactose in the whey which was not fermented by this organism. Although prehydrolysis of lactose in whey and whey fractions is advantageous in that microbial species unable to ferment lactose may be utilized, diauxie and galactose utilization problems must be considered.

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