Shudan Yan

Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, China
Author    Correspondence author
Biological Evidence, 2024, Vol. 14, No. 5   doi: 10.5376/be.2024.14.0025
Received: 01 Sep., 2024    Accepted: 08 Oct., 2024    Published: 24 Oct., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Yan S.D., 2024, The biochemical basis of ethanol fermentation and its industrial applications, Bioscience Evidence, 14(5): 238-249 (doi: 10.5376/be.2024.14.0025)

This study explored the application of ethanol fermentation in industry, especially in biofuel production and waste disposal. The study highlights several key discoveries in the field of ethanol fermentation. It was demonstrated that the aldehyde: ferredoxin oxidoreductase (AOR) enzyme is critical for ethanol formation in acetogenic bacteria, and inactivation of the bi-functional aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhE) significantly enhances ethanol production. Additionally, the metabolic pathways and regulatory mechanisms of ethanol-H₂ co-production in anaerobic bacteria were elucidated, revealing the importance of FeFe-hydrogenases and pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) in this process. Thermodynamic analyses identified bottlenecks in the ethanol production pathway from cellobiose in Clostridium thermocellum, suggesting potential genetic interventions to improve ethanol yield. Furthermore, metabolic engineering of Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius successfully diverted carbon flux towards ethanol production, achieving high yields under thermophilic conditions. The conservation and regulation of ethanol fermentation pathways in land plants were also examined, showing that while ethanol production is conserved, its regulation varies across plant species. The findings of this study underscore the versatility and industrial potential of ethanol fermentation. By understanding and manipulating the biochemical pathways involved, it is possible to enhance ethanol production for biofuel applications and improve waste treatment processes. These insights pave the way for future research and development in metabolic engineering and anaerobic biotechnology.

Ethanol fermentation; Biofuel production; Metabolic engineering; Anaerobic biotechnology; Acetogenic bacteria; Thermophilic conditions; Regulatory mechanisms