Production of Lactic Acid from Sucrose: Strain Selection, Fermentation, and Kinetic Modeling

Lactic acid is an important product arising from the anaerobic fermentation of sugars. It is used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, chemical, and food industries as well as for biodegradable polymer and green solvent production. In this work, several bacterial strains were isolated from industrial ethanol fermentation, and the most efficient strain for lactic acid production was selected. The fermentation was conducted in a batch system under anaerobic conditions for 50 h at a temperature of 34 °C, a pH value of 5.0, and an initial sucrose concentration of 12 g/L using diluted sugarcane molasses. Throughout the process, pulses of molasses were added in order to avoid the cell growth inhibition due to high sugar concentration as well as increased lactic acid concentrations. At the end of the fermentation, about 90% of sucrose was consumed to produce lactic acid and cells. A kinetic model has been developed to simulate the batch lactic acid fermentation results. The data obtained from the fermentation were used for determining the kinetic parameters of the model. The developed model for lactic acid production, growth cell, and sugar consumption simulates the experimental data well.     

Optimization of High Solids Dilute Acid Hydrolysis of Spent Coffee Ground at Mild Temperature for Enzymatic Saccharification and Microbial Oil Fermentation

Soluble coffee, being one of the world’s most popular consuming drinks, produces a considerable amount of spent coffee ground (SCG) along with its production. The SCG could function as a potential lignocellulosic feedstock for production of bioproducts. The objective of this study is to investigate the possible optimal condition of dilute acid hydrolysis (DAH) at high solids and mild temperature condition to release the reducing sugars from SCG. The optimal condition was found to be 5.3 % (w/w) sulfuric acid concentration and 118 min reaction time. Under the optimal condition, the mean yield of reducing sugars from enzymatic saccharification of defatted SCG acid hydrolysate was 563 mg/g. The SCG hydrolysate was then successfully applied to culture Lipomyces starkeyi for microbial oil fermentation without showing any inhibition. The results suggested that dilute acid hydrolysis followed by enzymatic saccharification has the great potential to convert SCG carbohydrates to reducing sugars. This study is useful for the further developing of biorefinery using SCG as feedstock at a large scale.     

Pretreatment for Simultaneous Production of Total Lipids and Fermentable Sugars from Marine Alga, Chlorella sp.

The goal of this study was to determine the optimal pretreatment process for the extraction of lipids and reducing sugars to facilitate the simultaneous production of biodiesel and bioethanol from the marine microalga Chorella sp. With a single pretreatment process, the optimal ultrasonication pretreatment process was 10 min at 47 KHz, and extraction yields of 6.5 and 7.1 (percentage, w/w) of the lipids and reducing sugars, respectively, were obtained. The optimal microwave pretreatment process was 10 min at 2,450 MHz, and extraction yields of 6.6 and 7.0 (percentage, w/w) of the lipids and reducing sugars, respectively, were obtained. Lastly, the optimal high-pressure homogenization pretreatment process was two cycles at a pressure of 20,000 psi, and extraction yields of 12.5 and 12.8 (percentage, w/w) of the lipids and reducing sugars, respectively, were obtained. However, because the single pretreatment processes did not markedly improve the extraction yields compared to the results of previous studies, a combination of two pretreatment processes was applied. The yields of lipids and reducing sugars from the combined application of the high-pressure homogenization process and the microwave process were 24.4 and 24.9 % (w/w), respectively, which was up to three times greater than the yields obtained using the single pretreatment processes. Furthermore, the oleic acid content, which is a fatty acid suitable for biodiesel production, was 23.39 % of the fatty acids (w/w). The contents of glucose and xylose, which are among the fermentable sugars useful for bioethanol production, were 77.5 and 13.3 % (w/w) of the fermentable sugars, respectively, suggesting the possibility of simultaneously producing biodiesel and bioethanol. Based on the results of this study, the combined application of the high-pressure homogenization and microwave pretreatment processes is the optimal method to increase the extraction yields of lipids and reducing sugars that are essential for the simultaneous production of biodiesel and bioethanol.     

Evaluation and Optimization of Organic Acid Pretreatment of Cotton Gin Waste for Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Bioethanol Production

This paper investigates the efficiency of the organic acids on the pretreatment of an industrially generated cotton gin waste for the removal of lignin, thereby releasing cellulose and hemicellulose as fermentable sugar components. Cotton gin waste was pretreated with various organic acids namely lactic acid, oxalic acid, citric acid, and maleic acid. Among these, maleic acid was found to be the most efficient producing maximum xylose sugar (126.05?±?0.74 g/g) at the optimum pretreatment condition of 150 °C, 500 mM, and 45 min. The pretreatment efficiency was comparable to the conventional dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment. A lignin removal of 88% was achieved by treating maleic acid pretreated biomass in a mixture of sodium sulfite and sodium chlorite. The pretreated biomass was further evaluated for the release of sugar by enzymatic hydrolysis and subsequently bioethanol production from hydrolysates. The maximum 686.13 g/g saccharification yield was achieved with maleic acid pretreated biomass which was slightly higher than the sulfuric acid (675.26 g/g) pretreated waste. The fermentation of mixed hydrolysates(41.75 g/l) produced 18.74 g/l bioethanol concentration with 2.25 g/l/h ethanol productivity and 0.48 g/g ethanol yield using sequential use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia stipitis yeast strains. The production of bioethanol was higher than the ethanol produced using co-culture in comparison to sequential culture. Thus, it has been demonstrated that the maleic acid pretreatment and fermentation using sequential use of yeast strains are efficient for bioethanol production from cotton gin waste.     

Enhanced Exoglucanase Production by Brown Rot Fungus Fomitopsis sp. RCK2010 and its Application for Cellulose Saccharification

Exoglucanase production by brown rot fungus Fomitopsis sp. RCK2010 was optimized under solid-state fermentation using Plackett–Burman design (PBD) and response surface methodology (RSM). Four fermentation variables (moisture, inoculum level, casein, and Triton X-100) were identified to effect cellulase production significantly by PBD, which were further optimized using RSM of central composite design. An overall 130 % increase in enzyme production was achieved by the optimization of variables using statistical approaches. Moreover, crude cellulase from Fomitopsis sp. RCK2010 was applied to saccharify pretreated Prosopis juliflora (cellulosic fraction), which resulted in the release of 327.35 mg/g of reducing sugars that could further be utilized for bioethanol production.     

Optimization of Endoglucanase and Xylanase Activities from Fusarium verticillioides for Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Sugarcane Bagasse

Enzymatic hydrolysis is an important but expensive step in the production of ethanol from biomass. Thus, the production of efficient enzymatic cocktails is of great interest for this biotechnological application. The production of endoglucanase and xylanase activites from F. verticillioides were optimized in a factorial design (2⁵) followed by a CCDR design. Endoglucanase and xylanase activities increased from 2.8 to 8.0 U/mL and from 13.4 to 114 U/mL, respectively. The optimal pH and temperature were determined for endoglucanase (5.6, 80 °C), cellobiase (5.6, 60 °C), FPase (6.0, 55 °C) and xylanase (7.0, 50 °C). The optimized crude extract was applied in saccharification and fermentation of sugarcane bagasse from which 9.7 g/L of ethanol was produced at an ethanol/biomass yield of 0.19.     

Bioethanol Production from Ipomoea Carnea Biomass Using a Potential Hybrid Yeast Strain

The paper deals with the exploitation of Ipomoea carnea as a feedstock for the production of bioethanol. Dilute acid pretreatment under optimum conditions (3 %H₂SO₄, 120 °C for 45 min) produced 17.68 g L^?1 sugars along with 1.02 g L^?1 phenolics and 1.13 g L^?1 furans. A combination of overliming and activated charcoal adsorption facilitated the removal of 91.9 % furans and 94.7 % phenolics from acid hydrolysate. The pretreated biomass was further treated with a mixture of sodium sulphite and sodium chlorite and, a maximum lignin removal of 81.6 % was achieved. The enzymatic saccharification of delignified biomass resulted in 79.4 % saccharification with a corresponding sugar yield of 753.21 mg g^?1. Equal volume of enzymatic hydrolysate and acid hydrolysate were mixed and used for fermentation with a hybrid yeast strain RPRT90. Fermentation of mixed detoxified hydrolysate at 30 °C for 28 h produced ethanol with a yield of 0.461 g g^?1. A comparable ethanol yield (0.414 g g^?1) was achieved using a mixture of enzymatic hydrolysate and undetoxified acid hydrolysate. Thus, I. carnea biomass has been demonstrated to be a potential feedstock for bioethanol production, and the use of hybrid yeast may pave the way to produce bioethanol from this biomass.     

Ethanol Production from Sugarcane Bagasse Hydrolysate Using Pichia stipitis

The objective of this study was to evaluate the ethanol production from the sugars contained in the sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolysate with the yeast Pichia stipitis DSM 3651. The fermentations were carried out in 250-mL Erlenmeyers with 100 mL of medium incubated at 200 rpm and 30 °C for 120 h. The medium was composed by raw (non-detoxified) hydrolysate or by hydrolysates detoxified by pH alteration followed by active charcoal adsorption or by adsorption into ion-exchange resins, all of them supplemented with yeast extract (3 g/L), malt extract (3 g/L), and peptone (5 g/L). The initial concentration of cells was 3 g/L. According to the results, the detoxification procedures removed inhibitory compounds from the hemicellulosic hydrolysate and, thus, improved the bioconversion of the sugars into ethanol. The fermentation using the non-detoxified hydrolysate led to 4.9 g/L ethanol in 120 h, with a yield of 0.20 g/g and a productivity of 0.04 g L^?1 h^?1. The detoxification by pH alteration and active charcoal adsorption led to 6.1 g/L ethanol in 48 h, with a yield of 0.30 g/g and a productivity of 0.13 g L^?1 h^?1. The detoxification by adsorption into ion-exchange resins, in turn, provided 7.5 g/L ethanol in 48 h, with a yield of 0.30 g/g and a productivity of 0.16 g L^?1 h^?1.     

Regional Differences in Rice Hulls Supply for Bioethanol Production

Agricultural by-products are becoming an attractive substrate for bioethanol production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of regional differences in the rice hulls using Escherichia coli KO11 for bioethanol production. The rice hulls coded Edirne were obtained from Thrace Region, and the rice hulls coded Izmir were obtained from Aegean Region in Turkey. Rice hulls were treated by dilute acid before using them as substrates. The cells were incubated on an orbital shaker at 160 rpm under 30 °C during 96 h of the fermentation period. It was found that the maximum yield of ethanol from sugar (0.44 g ethanol/g reducing sugar) was obtained with the substrate C/N ratio of 29.16 in Izmir medium. The main difference was the dominant carbon source available as a substrate. It was detected that glucose concentration was about 2.5 times higher in Izmir medium, whereas xylose concentration was about two times higher in Edirne medium. The different results obtained with rice hulls from different origins could depend on the type of paddy as well as different cultivation conditions. These findings provide a valuable indicator for identifying suitable agricultural waste materials to be used as substrates for bioethanol production.     

Lime Pretreatment and Fermentation of Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Sugarcane Bagasse

Sugarcane bagasse was subjected to lime (calcium hydroxide) pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis for second-generation ethanol production. A central composite factorial design was performed to determine the best combination of pretreatment time, temperature, and lime loading, as well as to evaluate the influence of enzymatic loadings on hydrolysis conversion. The influence of increasing solids loading in the pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis stages was also determined. The hydrolysate was fermented using Saccharomyces cerevisiae in batch and continuous mode. In the continuous fermentation, the hydrolysates were concentrated with molasses. Lime pretreatment significantly increased the enzymatic digestibility of sugarcane bagasse without the need for prior particle size reduction. In the optimal pretreatment conditions (90 h, 90 °C, 0.47 g?lime/g bagasse) and industrially realistic conditions of hydrolysis (12.7 FPU/g of cellulase and 7.3 CBU/g of β-glucosidase), 139.6 kg?lignin/ton raw bagasse and 126.0 kg hemicellulose in the pretreatment liquor per ton raw bagasse were obtained. The hydrolysate from lime pretreated sugarcane bagasse presented low amounts of inhibitors, leading to ethanol yield of 164.1 kg?ethanol/ton raw bagasse.     

Ethanol Production Using Whole Plant Biomass of Jerusalem Artichoke by Kluyveromyces marxianus CBS1555

Jerusalem artichoke is a low-requirement sugar crop containing cellulose and hemicellulose in the stalk and a high content of inulin in the tuber. However, the lignocellulosic component in Jerusalem artichoke stalk reduces the fermentability of the whole plant for efficient bioethanol production. In this study, Jerusalem artichoke stalk was pretreated sequentially with dilute acid and alkali, and then hydrolyzed enzymatically. During enzymatic hydrolysis, approximately 88 % of the glucan and xylan were converted to glucose and xylose, respectively. Batch and fed-batch simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of both pretreated stalk and tuber by Kluyveromyces marxianus CBS1555 were effectively performed, yielding 29.1 and 70.2 g/L ethanol, respectively. In fed-batch fermentation, ethanol productivity was 0.255 g ethanol per gram of dry Jerusalem artichoke biomass, or 0.361 g ethanol per gram of glucose, with a 0.924 g/L/h ethanol productivity. These results show that combining the tuber and the stalk hydrolysate is a useful strategy for whole biomass utilization in effective bioethanol fermentation from Jerusalem artichoke.     

Optimization of Levan Production by Cold-Active <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus licheniformis</Emphasis> ANT 179 and Fructooligosaccharide Synthesis by Its Levansucrase

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and levan attract much attention due to a wide range of applications in food technology and pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. Bacillus licheniformis ANT 179, isolated from Antarctica soil, produced levansucrase and levan in a medium containing sucrose as carbon substrate. In this study, characterization of levansucrase and production of short-chain FOS and levan were investigated. Temperature and pH optimum of the enzyme were found to be 60 °C and pH 6.0, respectively. The optimization of fermentation conditions for levan production using sugarcane juice by response surface methodology (RSM) was carried out. Central composite rotatable design was used to study the main and the interactive effects of medium components: sugarcane juice and casein peptone concentration on levan production by the bacterium. The optimized medium with sugarcane juice at 20 % (v/v) and casein peptone at 2 % (w/v) was found to be optimal at an initial pH of 7.0 and incubation temperature of 35 °C for 48 h. Under these conditions, the maximum levan concentration was 50.25 g/L on wet weight basis and 16.35 g/L on dry weight basis. The produced inulin type FOS (kestose and neokestose) and levan were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. The study revealed that the levansucrase could form FOS from sucrose. The locally available low-cost substrate such as sugarcane juice in the form of a renewable substrate is proposed to be suitable even for scale-up production of enzyme and FOS for industrial applications. The levan and FOS synthesized by the bacterium are suitable for food applications and biomedical uses as the bacterium has GRAS status and devoid of endotoxin as compared to other Gram-negative bacteria.     

Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Spent Coffee Ground

Spent coffee ground (SCG) is the main residue generated during the production of instant coffee by thermal water extraction from roasted coffee beans. This waste is composed mainly of polysaccharides such as cellulose and galactomannans that are not solubilised during the extraction process, thus remaining as unextractable, insoluble solids. In this context, the application of an enzyme cocktail (mannanase, endoglucanase, exoglucanase, xylanase and pectinase) with more than one component that acts synergistically with each other is regarded as a promising strategy to solubilise/hydrolyse remaining solids, either to increase the soluble solids yield of instant coffee or for use as raw material in the production of bioethanol and food additives (mannitol). Wild fungi were isolated from both SCG and coffee beans and screened for enzyme production. The enzymes produced from the selected wild fungi and recombinant fungi were then evaluated for enzymatic hydrolysis of SCG, in comparison to commercial enzyme preparations. Out of the enzymes evaluated on SCG, the application of mannanase enzymes gave better yields than when only cellulase or xylanase was utilised for hydrolysis. The recombinant mannanase (Man1) provided the highest increments in soluble solids yield (17 %), even when compared with commercial preparations at the same protein concentration (0.5 mg/g SCG). The combination of Man1 with other enzyme activities revealed an additive effect on the hydrolysis yield, but not synergistic interaction, suggesting that the highest soluble solid yields was mainly due to the hydrolysis action of mannanase.     

Sugar Beet Pulp as <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leuconostoc mesenteroides</Emphasis> T3 Support for Enhanced Dextransucrase Production on Molasses

Sugar beet pulp (SBP) and molasses, as an agro industrial waste material, are produced in large amounts annually. Thus, a major challenge nowadays is to develop procedures that could increase the value of the generated waste. In this study, SBP as a support for cell immobilization and molasses as a source of nutrients were used for a dextransucrase (DS) production by Leuconostoc mesenteroides T3. The influence of SBP in native form (SBP-N) and after treatment with NaOH (SBP-NaOH) on DS production was investigated. The optimal medium composition for the maximum DS production was determined by varying the concentration of molasses, SBP, and sucrose. The maximum DS yield of 2.02 U/ml was obtained in the medium with 2.5 % of molasses, 2.5 % SBP-NaOH, and 4 % of sucrose concentration. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed immobilization of Lc. mesenteroides T3 cells onto SBP-NaOH. According to the obtained results, the production of DS on molasses could be improved by using NaOH-treated SBP as a carrier for whole-cell immobilization. Our study reveals the basis for the development of process for DS production with additional reduction of expenses by using waste materials for obtaining the valuable biotechnological product.     

Ethanol production from steam-explosion pretreated wheat straw

Bioconversion of cereal straw to bioethanol is becoming an attractive alternative to conventional fuel ethanol production from grains. In this work, the best operational conditions for steam-explosion pretreatment of wheat straw for ethanol production by a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process were studied, using diluted acid [H₂SO₄ 0.9% (w/w)] and water as preimpregnation agents. Acid-or water-impregnated biomass was steam-exploded at different temperatures (160–200°C) and residence times (5, 10, and 20 min). Composition of solid and filtrate obtained after pretreatment, enzymatic digestibility and ethanol production of pretreated wheat straw at different experimental conditions was analyzed. The best pretreatment conditions to obtain high conversion yield to ethanol (approx 80% of theoretical) of cellulose-rich residue after steam-explosion were 190°C and 10 min or 200°C and 5 min, in acid-impregnated straw. However, 180°C for 10 min in acid-impregnated biomass provided the highest ethanol yield referred to raw material (140 L/t wheat straw), and sugars recovery yield in the filtrate (300 g/kg wheat straw).     

Improvement on Citric Acid Production in Solid-state Fermentation by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus niger</Emphasis> LPB BC Mutant Using Citric Pulp

Citric acid (CA) production has been conducted through a careful strain selection, physical–chemical optimization and mutation. The aim of this work was to optimize the physical–chemical conditions of CA production by solid-state fermentation (SSF) using the Aspergillus niger LPB BC strain, which was isolated in our laboratory. The parental and mutant strain showed a good production of CA using citric pulp (CP) as a substrate. The physical–chemical parameters were optimized and the best production was reached at 65% moisture, 30 °C and pH 5.5. The influence of the addition of commercial and alternative sugars, nitrogen sources, salts, and alcohols was also studied. The best results (445.4 g of CA/kg of CP) were obtained with sugarcane molasses and 4% methanol (v/w). The mutagenesis induction of LPB BC was performed with UV irradiation. Eleven mutant strains were tested in SSF where two mutants showed a higher CA production when compared to the parental strain. A. niger LPB B3 produced 537.6 g of CA/kg of CP on the sixth day of fermentation, while A. niger LPB B6 produced 616.5 g of CA/kg of CP on the fourth day of fermentation, representing a 19.5% and 37% gain, respectively.     

Bioconversion potential of Trichoderma viride HN1 cellulase for a lignocellulosic biomass Saccharum spontaneum

The industrialisation of lignocellulose conversion is impeded by expensive cellulase enzymes required for saccharification in bioethanol production. Current research undertakes cellulase production from pretreated Saccharum spontaneum through Trichoderma viride HN1 under submerged fermentation conditions. Pretreatment of substrate with 2% NaOH resulted in 88% delignification. Maximum cellulase production (2603 ± 16.39 U/mL/min carboxymethyl cellulase and 1393 ± 25.55 U/mL/min FPase) was achieved at 6% substrate at pH 5.0, with 5% inoculum, incubated at 35°C for 120 h of fermentation period. Addition of surfactant, Tween 80 and metal ion Mn⁺², significantly enhanced cellulase yield. This study accounts proficient cellulase yield through process optimisation by exploiting cheaper substrate to escalate their commercial endeavour.     

Enhancing <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-Lysine Production of Beet Molasses by Engineered <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> Using an In Situ Pretreatment Method

Reducing the viscosity of molasses environmentally and selectively removing the harmful ingredients for microbes are the keys to promoting the bioavailability of molasses. A simple and environmental in situ pretreatment method integrating surfactants and alkali was developed to reduce the viscosity of molasses prior to l-lysine production using Escherichia coli ZY0217. Adding activated carbon and modified orange peel based on the in situ pretreatment process effectively removed pigments and excessive zinc in the molasses and also significantly increased the cell growth and l-lysine yield from E. coli ZY0217. The experimental results showed that a mixture of secondary alkane sulfonate, an anionic surfactant, and HodagCB-6, a non-ionic surfactant, effectively reduced the viscosity of the molasses more so than any single surfactant. When the surfactant mixture was added at a concentration of 0.04 g/L to the molasses, the ω value was 0.4, and when ammonia was added at 0.6 %, the lowest viscosity of 705 mPa?·?s was obtained. Further, 91.5 % of the color and 86.68 % of the original levels of zinc were removed using an activated carbon and modified orange peel treatment on the molasses with the lowest viscosity, which further promoted cell growth and l-lysine production. In the fed-batch cultivation process, the l-lysine concentration achieved using a constant-speed feeding strategy was 45.89 g/L, with an l-lysine yield of 27.18 %, whereas the l-lysine yield from untreated molasses was only 10.13 %. The increase in l-lysine yield was related to the reduced viscosity and the detoxification of the molasses. Lastly, the pretreatment was found to significantly enhance the conversion of sugars in the molasses to l-lysine.     

Production of Ethanol and Feed by High Dry Matter Hydrolysis and Fermentation of Palm Kernel Press Cake

Palm kernel press cake (PKC) is a residue from palm oil extraction presently only used as a low protein feed supplement. PKC contains 50% fermentable hexose sugars present in the form of glucan and mainly galactomannan. This makes PKC an interesting feedstock for processing into bioethanol or in other biorefinery processes. Using a combination of mannanase, β-mannosidase, and cellulases, it was possible without any pretreatment to hydrolyze PKC at solid concentrations of 35% dry matter with mannose yields up to 88% of theoretical. Fermentation was tested using Saccharomyces cerevisiae in both a separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) setup. The hydrolysates could readily be fermented without addition of nutrients and with average fermentation yields of 0.43?±?0.02 g/g based on consumed mannose and glucose. Employing SSF, final ethanol concentrations of 70 g/kg was achieved in 216 h, corresponding to an ethanol yield of 70% of theoretical or 200 g ethanol/kg PKC. Testing various enzyme mixtures revealed that including cellulases in combination with mannanases significantly improved ethanol yields. Processing PKC to ethanol resulted in a solid residue enriched in protein from 17% to 28%, a 70% increase, thereby potentially making a high-protein containing feed supplement.     

Production of Bioethanol from Fermented Sugars of Sugarcane Bagasse Produced by Lignocellulolytic Enzymes of Exiguobacterium sp. VSG-1

Exiguobacterium sp. VSG-1 was isolated from the soil sample and characterized for the production of lignocellulolytic enzymes. Production of these enzymes by the strain VSG-1 was carried out using steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and found to secrete cellulase, pectinase, mannanase, xylanase, and tannase. The growth and enzyme production were found to be optimum at pH 9.0 and 37 °C. Upon steam explosion of SCB, the cellulose increased by 42 %, whereas hemicelluloses and lignin decreased by 40 and 62 %, respectively. Enzymatic hydrolysis of steam-exploded SCB yielded 640 g/l of total sugars. Fermentation of sugars produced from pretreated SCB was carried out by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae at pH 5.0 and 30 °C. The alcohol produced was calculated and found to be 62.24 g/l corresponding to 78 % of the theoretical yield of ethanol. Hence, the strain VSG-1 has an industrial importance for the production of fermentable sugars for biofuels.