Identification of strain isolated from dates (Phœnix dactylifera L.) for enhancing very high gravity ethanol production.

Ethanol production from by-products of dates in very high gravity was conducted in batch fermentation using two yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, as well as a native strain: an osmophilic strain of bacteria which was isolated for the first time from the juice of dates (Phoenix dactylifera L.). The phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S ribosomal RNA and gyrB sequence and physiological analysis indicated that the strain identified belongs to the genus of Bacillus, B. amyloliquefaciens. The ethanol yields produced from the syrup of dates (175 g L-1 and 360 g L-1 of total sugar) were 40.6% and 29.5%, respectively. By comparing the ethanol production by the isolated bacteria to that obtained using Z. rouxii and S. cerevisiae, it can be concluded that B. amyloliquefaciens was suitable for ethanol production from the syrup of dates and can consume the three types of sugar (glucose, fructose, and sucrose). Using Z. rouxii, fructose was preferentially consumed, while glucose was consumed only after fructose depletion. From this, B. amyloliquefaciens was promising for the bioethanol industry. In addition, this latter showed a good tolerance for high sugar concentration (36%), allowing ethanol production in batch fermentation at pH 5.0 and 28 °C in date syrup medium. Promising ethanol yield produced to sugar consumed were observed for the two osmotolerant microorganisms, Z. rouxii and B. amyloliquefaciens, nearly 32-33%, which were further improved when they were cocultivated, leading to an ethanol to glucose yield of 42-43%.