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Polygenic analysis and targeted improvement of the complex trait of high acetic acid tolerance in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae KU Leuven
BACKGROUND: Acetic acid is one of the major inhibitors in lignocellulose hydrolysates used for the production of second-generation bioethanol. Although several genes have been identified in laboratory yeast strains that are required for tolerance to acetic acid, the genetic basis of the high acetic acid tolerance naturally present in some Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains is unknown. Identification of its polygenic basis may allow improvement of ...
Trehalose metabolism: enzymatic pathways and physiological functions KU Leuven
Trehalose is a nonreducing disaccharide (α,α-1,1-diglucose) commonly found in many fungi and present in particularly high concentrations in quiescent cells and survival forms. For a long time trehalose was only considered as a storage carbohydrate, but later work has revealed multiple roles, in particular as a stress protectant. The dominant pathway for trehalose biosynthesis in fungi is through trehalose-6-phosphate synthase and phosphatase, ...
Genomic saturation mutagenesis and polygenic analysis identify novel yeast genes affecting ethyl acetate production, a non-selectable polygenic trait KU Leuven
Isolation of mutants in populations of microorganisms has been a valuable tool in experimental genetics for decades. The main disadvantage, however, is the inability of isolating mutants in non-selectable polygenic traits. Most traits of organisms, however, are non-selectable and polygenic, including industrially important properties of microorganisms. The advent of powerful technologies for polygenic analysis of complex traits has allowed ...
Green coconut mesocarp pretreated by an alkaline process as raw material for bioethanol production KU Leuven
Cocos nucifera L., coconut, is a palm of high importance in the food industry, but a considerable part of the biomass is inedible. In this study, the pretreatment and saccharification parameters NaOH solution, pretreatment duration and enzyme load were evaluated for the production of hydrolysates from green coconut mesocarp using 18% (w/v) total solids (TS). Hydrolysates were not detoxified in order to preserve sugars solubilized during the ...
Looking beyond Saccharomyces: the potential of non-conventional yeast species for desirable traits in bioethanol fermentation KU Leuven
Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used for millennia in the production of food and beverages and is by far the most studied yeast species. Currently, it is also the most used microorganism in the production of first-generation bioethanol from sugar or starch crops. Second-generation bioethanol, on the other hand, is produced from lignocellulosic feedstocks that are pretreated and hydrolyzed to obtain monomeric sugars, mainly D-glucose, D-xylose ...
Chaotropicity: a key factor in product tolerance of biofuel-producing microorganisms KU Leuven
Fermentation products can chaotropically disorder macromolecular systems and induce oxidative stress, thus inhibiting biofuel production. Recently, the chaotropic activities of ethanol, butanol and vanillin have been quantified (5.93, 37.4, 174kJ kg(-1)m(-1) respectively). Use of low temperatures and/or stabilizing (kosmotropic) substances, and other approaches, can reduce, neutralize or circumvent product-chaotropicity. However, there may be ...