Optimizing Microbial Ethanol: Carbon source influence and detrimental genes for ethanol production

In the search for developing sustainable, renewable and carbon neutral fuel supplies, bioethanol provides a potential replacement to petroleum-based fuels. Further optimization and engineering is necessary to produce organisms capable of fermenting lignocellulosic biomass that will not compete with human food supplies. A profile of ten wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains was developed for ethanol yields from growth on different sugars. Additionally, several higher ethanol producing yeast knockout strains were identified by use of a Bromothymol Blue pH indicator assay