From baker's yeast to genetically modified budding yeasts: the scientific evolution of bioethanol industry from sugarcane

Author(s)

Ceccato-Antonini, Sandra Regina ^[1] ; Covre, Elizabete Aparecida ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Ctr Ciencias Agr, Dept Tecnol Agroind & Socioecon Rural, Lab Agr & Mol Microbiol, Via Anhanguera, Km 174, BR-13600970 Araras, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Review article
• Source: FEMS Yeast Research; v. 20, n. 8 DEC 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The peculiarities of Brazilian fuel ethanol fermentation allow the entry of native yeasts that may dominate over the starter strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and persist throughout the sugarcane harvest. The switch from the use of baker's yeast as starter to selected budding yeasts obtained by a selective pressure strategy was followed by a wealth of genomic information that enabled the understanding of the superiority of selected yeast strains. This review describes how the process of yeast selection evolved in the sugarcane-based bioethanol industry, the selection criteria and recent advances in genomics that could advance the fermentation process. The prospective use of genetically modified yeast strains, specially designed for increased robustness and product yield, with special emphasis on those obtained by the CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats)-Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9) genome-editing approach, is discussed as a possible solution to confer higher performance and stability to the fermentation process for fuel ethanol production. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/19139-2 - Development of chitosan-based films and microspheres impregnated with plant extracts with antimicrobial properties: application in the industry and agriculture
• Grantee: Sandra Regina Ceccato Antonini
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Regular Program Grants