EFFICIENCY OF ORGANIC ACIDS IN REDUCING BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION DURING THE ETHANOLIC FERMENTATION PROCESS

• Grant number: 24/13259-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Sandra Regina Ceccato Antonini
• Grantee: Gustavo Augusto Amancio
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Agrárias (CCA). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Araras , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/03293-8 - Cell treatment in ethanolic fermentation: a study of the effect of conventional and unconventional strategies on Limosilactobacillus fermentum, fermentative parameters, cell autolysis, viability and gene expression of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, AP.R
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/06547-9 - ORGANIC AND INORGANIC ACIDS IN YEAST TREATMENT DURING ETHANOLIC FERMENTATION: EFFECT ON YEAST VIABILITY AND VITALITY, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

As an alternative to fossil fuels, the production of ethanol derived from sugar cane, through ethanolic fermentation, is of paramount economic and environmental importance. Despite the environmental advantages of using ethanol, bacterial contamination during fermentation, especially lactic acid bacteria, compromises the efficiency of the fermentation process. The use of sulfuric acid in distilleries to control this contamination, while effective in reducing the number of bacteria, generates environmental impacts and is costly. Weak organic acids have considerable antimicrobial activity, depending on the type of acid and the pH of the treatment, and are used in the food industry as preservatives, but have not yet been evaluated in the context of fuel ethanol production. The present project aims to evaluate the use of weak organic acids such as acetic acid, lactic acid, succinic acid and citric acid as potential substitutes for sulfuric acid, investigating how different types of acids and pH values affect the number of the bacteria Limosilactobacillus fermentum, a of the most important bacterial contaminants, and the viability of the process agent yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), aiming to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the process.