Fermentation of Sugarcane Biomass Hemicellulosic Hydrolysate by Yeast-Producer of Xylitol and Ethanol Isolated from the Atlantic Forest and the Brazilian Amazon Forest

In this study, the fermentative performances of the new yeast species Spathaspora boniae (UFMG-CM-Y306) and Spathaspora brasiliensis (UFMG-HMD19.3), isolated from decaying wood in Brazilian ecosystems, were investigated for the first time in sugarcane biomass hemicellulosic hydrolysate (mixture of bagasse and sugarcane straw). The best condition for supplementing the hydrolysate with different nitrogen sources (urea, yeast extract, peptone, and ammonium sulfate) was evaluated using a face-centered central composite design. Both, S. boniae and S. brasiliensis were able to assimilate sugars and produce xylitol as the main product and ethanol as a by-product of fermentation. S. boniae consumed 97.05