Are Bacterial Probiotics a Game-Changer for the Biofuels Industry?

(Biofuels International) In a study recently published in Nature Communications, scientists from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Biosustainability (DTU) and Yale University carried out research into how bacteria commonly found in sugarcane ethanol fermentation affects the industrial process.

By closely studying the interactions between yeast and bacteria, it is suggested that the industry can improve both its total yield and the cost of the fermentation processes by paying more attention to the diversity of the microbial communities and choosing between good and bad bacteria.

University research
Scientists dissected yeast bacteria interactions in sugarcane ethanol fermentation by reconstituting every possible combination of the microbial community structure, covering approximately 80% of the biodiversity found in industrial processes.

They discovered that one bacterium deserved extra attention – Lactobacillus amylovorus.

This bacteria produces a lot of the molecule acetaldehyde, which is used to feed yeast and so helps it to grow. You could say that Lactobacillus amylovorus is more generous by nature... READ MORE