Production of Inulinases and Ethanol by Hanseniaspora uvarum from the Juice of Agave salmiana Leaves

The increasing demand for renewable energy and sustainable enzymatic production has driven research into alternative microbial sources for bioethanol and enzyme production. This study evaluates the potential of Hanseniaspora uvarum, a non-Saccharomyces yeast, for the simultaneous production of inulinases and bioethanol using Agave salmiana leaf juice as a substrate. H. uvarum exhibited high inulinase activity (180.5 U/mL), efficiently hydrolyzing inulin into fermentable sugars. Additionally, it demonstrated high ethanol production, reaching 30.4 g/L with 74.5% yield, surpassing commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, which failed to grow in this medium. The key discovery was that H. uvarum can grow in agave juice, potentially due to its tolerance to inhibitory compounds, possibly including saponins, which inhibited the growth of commercial yeasts. These results highlight the biotechnological potential of H. uvarum for bioethanol production from the Agave biomass and emphasize the relevance of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in industrial fermentation processes. Future research should focus on optimizing fermentation conditions and scaling up the process for industrial applications.