Industrial yeast needs to be cooled to 30 degrees Celsius for it to produce bioethanol. Cooling costs are too high, however, prompting researchers from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden to conduct a study to find a solution.

Yeast cells die when not cooled because of the intense heat they produce. If the yeast's temperature can be maintained at 40 degrees Celsius, the production of bioethanol will be less expensive but more effective.

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The study said this process will lead to the more efficient production of bioethanol for fueling vehicles.

According to Jean Nielsen, a professor of systems biology and head of the research team, yeast has a molecule in its membrane called ergosterol. This membrane when manipulated by mutation produces another membrane called fecosterol, which enables the yeast to grow at 40 degrees Celsius.

With the mutation, researchers were not only able to maintain the temperature at 40 degrees Celsius but were also able to produce other characteristics resulting in residue such as starch being used as a raw material.

The research lasted three months and used 300 yeast strains. Researchers were able to analyze the genetic structure and the metabolism of the yeast strains leading them conclude all of the samples produced fecosterol.

Although fecosterol's features are the same as the sterol-like molecules that protect bacteria and plants against high temperatures, it made yeast thermotolerant.

Bioethanol production depends greatly on sugar beets or corn but since the discovery of thermotolerant yeast, researchers bank on this for a major change in bioethanol production. 

TagsBioethanol, Yeast, thermotolerant, Fuel, raw material, Chalmers, Climate Smart