Abstract
Growth kinetics ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae in glucose syrup from cassava starch and sugarcane molasses were studied using batch and fed-batch cultivation. The optimum temperature and pH required for growth were 30°C and pH 5.5, respectively. In batch culture the productivity and overall cell yield were 0.31 g L−1 h−1 and 0.23 g cells g−1 sugar, respectively, on glucose syrup and 0.22 g L−1 h−1 and 0.18 g cells g−1 sugar, respectively, on molasses. In fed-batch cultivation, a productivity of 3.12 g L−1 h−1 and an overall cell yield of 0.52 g cells g−1 sugar in glucose syrup cultivation and a productivity of 2.33 g L−1 h−1 and an overall cell yield of 0.46 g cells g−1 sugar were achieved in molasses cultivation by controlling the reducing sugar concentration at its optimum level obtained from the fermentation model. By using an on-line ethanol sensor combined with a porous Teflon® tubing method in automating the feeding of substrate in the fed-batch culture, a productivity of 2.15 g L−1 h−1 with a yield of 0.47 g cells g−1 sugar was achieved using glucose syrup as substrate when ethanol concentration was kept at a constant level by automatic control.