Ethanol Production from Cheese Whey and Expired Milk by the Brown Rot Fungus Neolentinus lepideus

Okamoto, Kenji; Nakagawa, Saki; Kanawaku, Ryuichi; Kawamura, Sayo

doi:10.3390/fermentation5020049

Open AccessArticle

Ethanol Production from Cheese Whey and Expired Milk by the Brown Rot Fungus Neolentinus lepideus

by

Kenji Okamoto

^*,

Saki Nakagawa

,

Ryuichi Kanawaku

and

Sayo Kawamura

Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama, Tottori 680-8552, Japan

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Fermentation 2019, 5(2), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation5020049

Submission received: 19 April 2019 / Revised: 10 June 2019 / Accepted: 13 June 2019 / Published: 16 June 2019

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Production of Added-value Products from Renewable Resources 2.0)

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Abstract

The basidiomycete brown rot fungus Neolentinus lepideus is capable of assimilating and fermenting lactose to ethanol with a conversion yield comparable to those of lactose-fermenting yeasts. The ability of the fungus to ferment lactose is not influenced by the addition of glucose or calcium. Therefore, N. lepideus may be useful in ethanol production from materials composed mainly of lactose, such as cheese whey or expired cow’s milk. Whey is a by-product of cheese manufacturing, and approximately 50% of the total worldwide production of whey is normally disposed of without being utilized. We found that N. lepideus produced ethanol directly from cheese whey with a yield of 0.35 g of ethanol per gram of lactose consumed, and it also fermented expired milk containing lactose, protein, and fat with a similar yield. Our findings revealed that the naturally occurring basidiomycete fungus possesses a unique ability to produce ethanol from cheese whey and expired milk. Thus, N. lepideus may be useful in facilitating ethanol production from dairy wastes in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner.

Keywords: ethanol production; lactose; cheese whey; cow’s milk; basidiomycete fungus; Neolentinus lepideus

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MDPI and ACS Style

Okamoto, K.; Nakagawa, S.; Kanawaku, R.; Kawamura, S. Ethanol Production from Cheese Whey and Expired Milk by the Brown Rot Fungus Neolentinus lepideus. Fermentation 2019, 5, 49. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation5020049

AMA Style

Okamoto K, Nakagawa S, Kanawaku R, Kawamura S. Ethanol Production from Cheese Whey and Expired Milk by the Brown Rot Fungus Neolentinus lepideus. Fermentation. 2019; 5(2):49. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation5020049

Chicago/Turabian Style

Okamoto, Kenji, Saki Nakagawa, Ryuichi Kanawaku, and Sayo Kawamura. 2019. "Ethanol Production from Cheese Whey and Expired Milk by the Brown Rot Fungus Neolentinus lepideus" Fermentation 5, no. 2: 49. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation5020049

APA Style

Okamoto, K., Nakagawa, S., Kanawaku, R., & Kawamura, S. (2019). Ethanol Production from Cheese Whey and Expired Milk by the Brown Rot Fungus Neolentinus lepideus. Fermentation, 5(2), 49. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation5020049

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Ethanol Production from Cheese Whey and Expired Milk by the Brown Rot Fungus Neolentinus lepideus

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