Isolation of xylose-utilizing yeasts from oil palm waste for xylitol and ethanol production
Lignocellulosic materials can be utilized to produce biofuels and various chemical feedstock compounds. The efficient conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products requires highly-active microorganisms that are capable of utilizing 5-C sugars, especially xylose. In this article, Indonesian researchers isolated and characterized several xylose-utilizing yeast strains from oil palm waste for improved production of xylitol and ethanol. Nineteen yeast isolates were able to grow on solid and liquid media using xylose as the sole carbon source. Four isolates produced 5.0 to 6.0 g/L xylitol using. Five isolates produced 0.85 to 1.34 g/L ethanol. Three isolates, namely SL1(1), R5, and SL6, were able to produce xylitol and ethanol from xylose as the sole carbon source, and were also able to grow on liquid hydrolysate from pretreated oil palm trunk waste. The three isolates were sequenced and found to be Pichia kudriavzevii for SL1(1) and R5, and Pichia kudriavzevii for SL6.