Clean Technology
Ethanol Tolerant Yeast for Improved Production of Ethanol from Biomass
WARF: P100228US02
Inventors: Audrey Gasch, Jeffrey Lewis
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is seeking commercial partners interested in developing a recombinant yeast strain with improved ethanol tolerance.
Overview
Ethanol production from cellulosic biomass can make a significant contribution toward decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels. However, the fermentation of biomass can be problematic. One bottleneck in this process is the toxicity of ethanol to microbes such as the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
The Invention
UW–Madison researchers have developed a method of using the Elongase I (ELO1) gene to impart ethanol tolerance to yeast. ELO1 is an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids in yeast. This gene could be incorporated into an industrial yeast strain to increase the amount of ethanol produced from biomass.
Applications
- Production of ethanol from biomass
- Alcohol production
- Manufacture of frozen bread dough
Key Benefits
- Makes yeast less sensitive to ethanol
- Increased ethanol tolerance allows more ethanol to be produced per batch, decreasing costs and energy consumption
- Could be incorporated into an industrial fermentation yeast strain
Additional Information
For More Information About the Inventors
Publications
For current licensing status, please contact Jennifer Gottwald at [javascript protected email address] or 608-960-9854
- Lewis J.A., Elkon I.M., McGee M.A., Higbee A.J. and Gasch A.P. 2010. Exploiting Natural Variation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Identify Genes for Increased Ethanol Resistance. Genetics 186, 1197-1205.