Patent
The present invention relates to processes for producing ethanol from starch-containing material using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast deposited under Accession No. V15/004035, V15/004036 or V15/004037 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia) or a fermenting organism strain having properties that are about the same as that of the deposited Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain or a derivative of Saccharomyces strain V15/004035, V15/004036 or V15/004037 having the defining characteristics of strain V15/004035, V15/004036 or V15/004037. The invention also relates to Saccharomyces yeast deposited under the Budapest Treaty and having NMI accession no. V15/004035, V15/004036 or V15/004037 or a derivative of strain V15/004035, V15/004036 or V15/004037 which exhibits one or more properties or defining characteristics of strain V15/004035, V15/004036 or V15/004037. The invention also relates to compositions comprising a Saccharomyces yeast of the invention and naturally occurring and/or non-naturally occurring components.
1. A process for producing ethanol from starch-containing material, the process comprising the steps of:
i) liquefying the starch-containing material at a temperature above the initial gelatinization temperature using an alpha-amylase;
ii) saccharifying using a glucoamylase;
iii) fermenting using a fermenting organism;
wherein the fermenting organism is:
Saccharomyces cerevisiae MBG4930 (deposited under Accession No. V15/004035 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia);
Saccharomyces cerevisiae MBG4931 (deposited under Accession No. V15/004036 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia); or
Saccharomyces cerevisiae MBG4932 (deposited under Accession No. V15/004037 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia).
2. A Saccharomyces yeast strain selected from:
Saccharomyces cerevisiae MBG4930 (deposited under Accession No. V15/004035 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia);
Saccharomyces cerevisiae MBG4931 (deposited under Accession No. V15/004036 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia); and
Saccharomyces cerevisiae MBG4932 (deposited under Accession No. V15/004037 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia).
3. A method of producing a derivative of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain V15/004035, V15/004036 or V15/004037, the method comprising:
(a) providing:
(i) a first yeast strain; and
(ii) a second yeast strain, wherein the second yeast strain is strain V15/004035, V15/004036 or V15/004037;
(b) culturing the first yeast strain and the second yeast strain under conditions which permit combining of DNA between the first and second yeast strains; and
(c) screening or selecting for a derivative of strain.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein step (c) comprises screening or selecting for a hybrid strain which exhibits one or more defining characteristic of strain V15/004035, V15/004036 or V15/004037.
5. The method of claim 3 , comprising the further step of:
(d) repeating steps (b) and (c) with the screened or selected strain from step (c) as the first and/or second strain, until a derivative is obtained which exhibits the defining characteristics of strain V15/004035, V15/004036 or V15/004037.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the culturing step (b) comprises:
(i) sporulating the first yeast strain and the second yeast strain; and
(ii) hybridizing germinated spores produced by the first yeast strain with germinated spores produced by the second yeast strain.
7. A method of producing ethanol, comprising incubating a strain of claim 2 with a substrate comprising a fermentable sugar under conditions which permit fermentation of the fermentable sugar to produce ethanol.
8. A method of producing distiller's grain, comprising:
(a) incubating a Saccharomyces strain of claim 2 with a substrate comprising fermentable sugar under conditions which allow fermentation of the fermentable sugar to produce ethanol and distiller's grains; and
(b) isolating the distiller's grains.
9. A composition comprising a Saccharomyces yeast strain of claim 2 and one or more naturally occurring and/or non-naturally occurring components selected from surfactants, emulsifiers, gums, swelling agents, and antioxidants.
10. The Saccharomyces yeast strain of claim 2 , wherein the strain is capable of growing on xylose as a sole carbon source.
11. The Saccharomyces yeast strain of claim 2 , wherein the strain comprises one or more properties and defining characteristics selected from:
increases ethanol yield compared to ETHANOL RED™ Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain deposited as V14/007039 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia under the same process conditions;
reduced acetaldehyde production compared to ETHANOL RED™ Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain deposited as V14/007039 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia under the same process conditions;
increased temperature tolerance compared to ETHANOL RED™ Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain deposited as V14/007039 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia under the same process conditions; and
decreased glycerol production compared to ETHANOL RED™ Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain deposited as V14/007039 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia under the same process conditions.
12. The Saccharomyces yeast strain of claim 2 , wherein the strain is capable of providing an ethanol yield boost over ETHANOL RED™ Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain deposited as V14/007039 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia of more than 1.0% under the same process conditions.
13. A method of producing a recombinant derivative of the Saccharomyces yeast of claim 2 , the method comprising introducing a nucleic acid into the Saccharomyces yeast of claim 2 using recombinant DNA technology.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the nucleic acid is introduced into Saccharomyces cerevisiae MBG4931 (deposited under Accession No. V15/004036 at National Measurement Institute, Victoria, Australia).