title: Production of 16.5% v/v ethanol from seagrass seeds.
abstract: Ethanol fermentation on seeds of seagrass Zostera marina was studied. The seeds were collected from the annual plant colony of Z. marina at Hinase Bay, Okayama. The seeds contained 83.5% carbohydrates including 48.1% crude starch on a dry weight basis, which is comparable to cereals such as wheat flour and corns. The seeds were saccharified with glucoamylase (50°C, 96 h) and 103.4 g/l concentration of glucose juice was obtained. The glucose juice was further fermented (23°C-35°C, 15 days) with Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains NBRC10217(T) and Kyokai 7-go, and ethanol was obtained at a 65.0 g/l (82.3 ml/l) level by monographic double-fermentation and at a 130.4 g/l (165.1 ml/l) level by parallel double-fermentation. Fermented products of seagrass seeds containing such a high ethanol concentration as the present study have potential to be utilized not only for biofuel but also for foods and beverages in the future. Culturing of seagrass seeds as a crop may enable development of a new marine fermentation industry.
authors: National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea, Fisheries Research Agency, Maruishi 2-17-5, Hatsukaichi-shi, Hiroshima 739-0452, Japan. Electronic address: uchida@affrc.go.jp.
authors: Motoharu
authors: M
authors: Uchida
authors: National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea, Fisheries Research Agency, Maruishi 2-17-5, Hatsukaichi-shi, Hiroshima 739-0452, Japan.
authors: Tatsuo
authors: T
authors: Miyoshi
authors: National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 235-0452, Japan.
authors: Masaki
authors: M
authors: Kaneniwa
authors: National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 235-0452, Japan.
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Ishihara
authors: Graduate School of Advanced Sciences of Matter, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8530, Japan.
authors: Yutaka
authors: Y
authors: Nakashimada
authors: Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan.
authors: Naoto
authors: N
authors: Urano
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels / Q000600:supply & distribution; D019149:Bioreactors; D002523:Edible Grain / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005285:Fermentation; D005433:Flour; D005087:Glucan 1,4-alpha-Glucosidase / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000378:metabolism*; D013213:Starch / Q000378:metabolism; D035962:Zosteraceae / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D000431:Ethanol; D013213:Starch; D005087:Glucan 1,4-alpha-Glucosidase; D005947:Glucose
keywords: Aquatic bioresources; Ethanol fermentation; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Seagrass seed; Zostera marina