Amylolytic Yeast: A Potential Source for Bioethanol Production

Bioethanol production from Endomycopsis capsularis (Reclassified as Saccharomycopsis capsularis) was evaluated using Strain 1048 in this study. 100ml of medium was inoculated with one loop full of culture of Saccharomycopsis capsularis from slants into shake flask for seed culture and incubated. The optimum growth conditions for the culture were: Temperature: 25°C and pH: 5–7. The organism needs a very simple culture medium for growth and maintenance. The sources of amylases to degrade starch for bioethanol production are many. However, amylolytic yeasts, capable of efficiently hydrolysing starch to give glucose, which probably further gets degraded under anaerobic conditions to give ethanol are very few. So the amylolytic properties of Saccharomycopsis capsularis were explored. This organism has a significant potential for starch degradation and ethanol production.