Alteration of yeast activity by gamma radiation

Yeast is an important component in microbe based industrial technologies. Due to the techno-economic reasons, the fermentation technique has acquired renewed interest. The effect of -radiation on the fermentation reaction has been investigated. The studies show that exposure of the fermentation mixture to -radiation at 5 kGy enhance alcohol production, whereas irradiation at higher doses, viz., 10 kGy and 25 kGy caused a considerable reduction in the alcohol yield. Therefore, low dose irradiation of fermentation mixtures can be applied for increasing the alcohol production by about 25%.