Optimization Of Lachancea fermentati In Bioethanol Production from Sugarcane Molasses

Molasses is a cheap carbon source with an abundance of fermentable sugars as a fermentation substrate. Microorganisms are required for the bioconversion of fermentable sugars in molasses to bioethanol. The main objective of this study is to produce bioethanol from molasses using Lachancea fermentati as the fermenter. The ability of L. fermentati to adapt to the fermentation environment was investigated by physiological characterization. The physiological characteristics consist of a mixture of NaCl, molasses and pH in the test medium. The fermentation is carried out directly by varying the molasses concentration and fermentation time. The test results show that L. fermentati can grow well at a pH of 3 to 6, NaCl concentration of 6% and molasses concentration of 15% at a temperature of 30 °C measured at 600 nm OD. The best bioethanol yield was obtained with 9.4% from 25% molasses and 9.8% at a fermentation time of 48 hours. The observation results suggest that L. fermentati has the potential to produce bioethanol from molasses if the conditions are appropriately adjusted.