Effect of Pre-hydrolysis on Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Native Rye Starch

Abstract

The rising population and increasing demand for food place added pressure on the agricultural sector to maintain high process efficiency while implementing environmentally friendly methods. In this study, we investigate the effect of pre-hydrolysis of native rye starch and its influence on the yield of ethanol obtained by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) from high gravity rye mashes with 25% and 28% w w−1 dry matter content. Fermentation was carried out in a 3-day system at a temperature of 35 ± 1 °C using the dry distillery yeast Ethanol Red (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The characteristics of the tested raw material and changes in the native rye starch during enzymatic hydrolysis were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM images revealed characteristic changes on the surface of the starch, which was found to have a layered structure, as well as interesting behavior by the yeast during SSF when the glucose concentration in the environment was lowered. Both in the mashes with 25% and 28% w w−1 dry matter, starch pre-hydrolysis did not significantly increase either the initial amounts of sugars available to the yeast or the fermentation efficiency and ethanol yield in comparison to the mashes without this pre-treatment.