FACTORS AFFECTING ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION

Abstract

Among several renewable energy sources produced in the country, ethanol manufactured from sugarcane occupies a prominent position. Therefore, ethanol is a very important economic factor, leading to internal and external interests. This process only had its improvement because of technological advances, both in the agricultural and industrial sectors. With the fermentation process could not be different, from the improvement of the batch fed and continuous system with the use of centrifue, with recirculation and yeast treatment, combined with the selection of yeasts of high fermentative capacity and improvements in distillation processes. Thus, this study aimed to study the increase of bacterial contamination, due to variations in temperature, pH and fermentation time in fermentation and metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts, during the entire alcoholic fermentation process. Through the results of physicochemical, microbiological and supervisory data analyses, it was possible to conclude that at temperatures above 32ºC contamination is favored, and contamination increases with the decrease in pH, and it is necessary to control what is usually done with the use of antibiotics. When fermentation time increases contamination is also favored.