Bioconversion of hemicellulosic materials into ethanol by yeast, Pichia kudriavzevii 2-KLP1, isolated from industrial waste.

In the present work, a yeast strain Pichia kudriavzevii was identified on the basis of 18S rDNA, showing maximum growth at 30°C and pH 7.0. Among all the complex polysaccharides used, wheat bran proved to be the best substrate as indicated by the maximum growth of the yeast strain. The yeast isolate was capable of producing xylanase both intra- and extra-cellularly, the dominant form being extracellular. The maximum enzyme activity was determined at pH 5.0 and at 50°C. Na, Mg and Fe presence caused a substantial increase in enzyme activity while a slight decrease (4.5%) was observed in the presence of Mn, Zn and Cu. Pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activities were assayed to confirm the presence of the ethanol pathway and PDC activity was much more pronounced (73%) compared to ADH activity (51%). The yeast strain can be employed to utilize hemicellulose containing agroindustrial residues for ethanol production.