Artisanal refermentation of Agave cupreata bagasse with Saccharomyces cerevisiae MG5 as a valorization alternative
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Keywords
bagasse, broad-leaf agave, fermentation, yields, costs.
Resumen
Objective: to evaluate the economic feasibility of subjecting broad-leaf agave bagasse to secondary artisanal fermentation, with the use of a native yeast to improve ethanol yields and reduce production costs.
Design/ Methodology/ Approach: the physicochemical characteristics of the bagasse, the amount of sugars according to °Brix, the yields in batches with and without Saccharomyces cerevisiae MG5 and the production costs of using the methods described were determined.
Results: the bagasse of Agave cupreata contains °6 Brix of total sugar, 4.89 pH, 56.76% organic carbon. and total fiber of 16.36%. As for the ethanol yields, those were 15 L Mg-1 and 12 L Mg-1 with and without added yeasts, respectively.
Limitations/ Implications of the study: a secondary artisanal fermentation process is very expensive and not economically feasible.
Findings/ Conclusions: it is important to standardize the processes of use of agave sugars by small producers in order to improve the processes, to increase yields, and to reduce economic losses. For valorization of the bagasse, it is convenient to search for other alternatives.