Novel genetic parts and cultivation strategies for yeast-based conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks

The recent start-up of several full-scale ‘second generation’ ethanol plants marks a major milestone in the development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains for fermentation of lignocellulosic hydrolysates of agricultural residues and energy crops. In contrast to the fermentation of hexose sugar-rich substrates, such as corn syrup or sugar...

Fermentation of glucose-xylose-arabinose mixtures by a synthetic consortium of single-sugar-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains

D-Glucose, D-xylose and L-arabinose are major sugars in lignocellulosic hydrolysates. This study explores fermentation of glucose-xylose-arabinose mixtures by a consortium of three ‘specialist’ Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. A D-glucose- and L-arabinose-tolerant xylose specialist was constructed by eliminating hexose phosphorylation in an...