MIT scientists develop technique to boost yeast's ethanol production - by 80% (that's no typo, 80%)

[Bill USA]

Different environment helps yeast tolerate high levels of ethanol, making them more productive

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Yeast are commonly used to transform corn and other plant materials into biofuels such as ethanol. However, large concentrations of ethanol can be toxic to yeast, which has limited the production capacity of many yeast strains used in industry.

“Toxicity is probably the single most important problem in cost-effective biofuels production,” says Gregory Stephanopoulos, the Willard Henry Dow Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT.

Now Stephanopoulos and colleagues at MIT and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have identified a new way to boost yeast tolerance to ethanol by simply altering the composition of the medium in which the yeast are grown. They report the findings, which they believe could have a significant impact on industrial biofuel production, in today’s issue of the journal Science.

Ethanol and other alcohols can disrupt yeast cell membranes, eventually killing the cells. The MIT team found that adding potassium and hydroxide ions to the medium in which yeast grow can help cells compensate for that membrane damage. By making these changes, the researchers were able to boost yeast’s ethanol production by about 80 percent. They also showed that this approach works with commercial yeast strains and other types of alcohols, including propanol and butanol, which are even more toxic to yeast.
(more)

link to Science article: Engineering alcohol tolerance in yeast

[Xipe Totec]

1. Belgian monks, step aside. Let the modern monks take over from here. Icosa bock, here we come. nt

[PoliticAverse]

2. Cool, no longer any need to subsidize it then. n/t

[Bill USA]

5. LOL. We haven't been subsidizing ethanol for 4 years.

[nationalize the fed]

3. Lots of people will be happy about this

[RoccoR5955]

4. You don't need a lot of ethanol producing yeast for moonshine

because to make moonshine, you first ferment the brew, then you distill off all of the alcohol.
It may produce a small amount more, but when it comes to moonshine, it really doesn't matter.
Take this from someone who has been homebrewing for 20 years.
BTW- I prefer my alcohol in the form of mead, and I use apple cider instead of water. It makes the tastiest mead that I know. Others say so as well. Oh, and for the record, the type of mead that I make and love is called "cyser."

Here in the Hudson Valley, we make the best home made hard cider. We homebrewers have been doing it for a very long time, and continue the tradition. I just make mine with lots and lots of honey!

[phantom power]

6. Oh please...