Characterization of Ethanol-Producing Marine Yeasts Isolated from Coastal Water

Abstract

Various kinds of ethanol-producing marine yeasts from coastal water were isolated and characterized. Number of colony forming units of the marine yeasts on a medium were from several dozen to hundreds per 1 l of various coastal water. Ethanol productivity from glucose by 15 isolates of the marine yeasts widely ranged 9 ∼ 77%. Above all, in five strains: TA8, 15, and 46 and TK5 and 12, the productivity was 58∼77% which had the similar levels of those in industrial yeasts. Salt tolerance of the marine yeasts was measured and they grew and fermented in the presence of 2.0 ∼ 3.0 M NaCl. Otherwise, the industrial yeasts were only in 1.0 ∼ 2.0 M NaCl. In taxonomy of the marine yeasts, most of them were found to be genera Candida and Debaryomyces.