Yamaguchi University

Mamoru Yamada

Sukanya Nitiyon

Chansom Keo-Oudone

Limtong Savitree

An object is to provide a thermotolerant yeast capable of assimilating xylose to produce ethanol or a mutant strain thereof and a method for producing ethanol by assimilation of xylose. There is used a yeast,strain No. 21 (accession number: NITE BP-01739), or a mutant strain thereof that has xylose assimilation ability and ethanol production ability when cultured at 30&#xb0; C. under aerobic conditions using a culture medium containing xylose as a sugar source. Also performed is a method for producing ethanol, comprising culturing the yeast or the mutant strain thereof under aerobic conditions using a culture medium containing xylose as a sugar source.

Yeast having xylose assimilation ability and ethanol production ability

The present invention provides a novel yeast strain capable of producing ethanol through fermentation with a high degree of efficiency at a temperature of 37&#xb0; C. or higher, preferably a temperature ranging from 40 to 49&#xb0; C. or higher, and also a method for producing ethanol by utilizing the yeast strain, and further, ethanol produced by the method. Therefore, in the present invention, an yeast strain (Deposit No. NITE BP-283, etc) belonging to speciesisolated by a screening step using a culture medium containing sugar in a high concentration and ethanol, is cultured in a culture solution supplemented with 10 to 100 mM of sorbitol at 40 to 49&#xb0; C.

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Yamaguchi, Japan

Mamoru Yamada