Technology developed at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), which is able to more quickly and inexpensively identify yeast strains used in ethanol production, has been licensed to the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar). Therefore, the researchers want to provide a specialized service to sugarcane mills to uncover the most effective strains for the sugar energy sector. This work could lead to an increased supply of yeast on the market for various fields, such as beer and baking.
Currently, the ethanol industry uses well-known yeasts on the market, such as CAT 1 and Pedra 2. However, the process is often overlapping and dominated by other yeasts arriving with the sugarcane itself, reducing the production capacity of the plants.
The proposal of UFSCar’s Laboratory of Applied Biochemistry and Genetics is to use Unicamp’s technology to map the yeasts found in plants and thus identify the most efficient strains for ethanol production.
“It will be possible to serve the plants in a personalized way and our laboratory is ready for this. Throughout the harvest season, we will be able to identify the yeast that dominates the process in the plant, produce them industrially and use them in Ethanol production.
This technology, developed at the Genome and Bioenergy Laboratory of the Institute of Biology (IB) at Unicamp, uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, which consists of amplifying a specific region of yeast DNA, so that a test is performed. In specific parts, as if it were a paternity test. It also makes it possible to identify parts of yeast more accurately, allowing plants to use strains more efficiently.
This method is cheaper than the one currently used for this type of work: karyotyping. In this technique, chromosomes are separated within yeast. This is a more traditional, expensive and time-consuming method. With the technology developed by Unicamp, it is possible to obtain the result within two days.
“The technology can isolate yeast dough, for example, found in a fermentation tank. By dividing it into groups, it can be determined which ones are equal and different from each other. This allows After that, we analyze the quality and characteristics of these strains and what is most suitable for them.” He is one of the authors of the invention, along with his colleague, International Baccalaureate professor, Marcelo Valsarella Carrazole.
Contamination with inappropriate yeast often stops ethanol production in plants, which means the production of about one million liters of ethanol per day.
“If the plant starts producing the crop with the dominant strain, the production process will be more stable. It will also be possible to predict when unsuitable yeast will prevail in the process and add the most efficient strain at the right time, preventing losses,” said the UFSCar professor.
It is expected that within two or three crop seasons – the equivalent of two or three years – it will be possible to determine which type of yeast is dominant and most efficient to use on each plant. A partnership with Unicamp led to the creation of Lineage Bank
The technology was licensed through the Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency. However, before that, a collaborative experiment between Unicamp and the Övskar Laboratory resulted in a yeast bank containing nearly 500 different strains. The work was carried out through a series of research from the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp), Usina São Luiz, in Ourinhos (SP).
“My goal within Usina São Luiz was to identify the strain used in the industrial process and expand the yeast supply for the sugar energy sector,” said Cunha, who was a student of Professor Pereira at Unicamp and worked on the topic. Since obtaining his master’s and doctorate degrees.
Now, ten years of research are being evaluated to determine the dominant strain of this plant. “Our goal is to leverage the experience of Usina São Luiz to enter the energy and sugar sector,” says the UFSCar researcher.
The value of this work will cost companies about R$20,000 to R$30,000 per crop. In addition to the royalties received by Unicamp for this license, the provision of the Services by UFSCar will generate income for your laboratory.
Discovering lineages from other regions
Working with plants can also contribute to identifying suitable and interesting strains for use in areas other than ethanol, such as baking and wine, for example. “Today we have strains that have been isolated in the ethanol production process, and will be used to produce beer for their aromatic compounds,” said the UFSCar researcher.
Unicamp’s technology is contributing to the development of this market, as it allows researchers to get a precise view of yeast, and identify small differences in yeast, which would not be effective in karyotyping.
“Licensing technology to universities has proven to be very important, as universities have the ability to develop processes and be a reference for different companies and sectors,” the Unicamp researcher said. Create Unicamp
