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Ethanol fermentation, also called alcoholic fermentation, is a biological process which converts sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose into cellular energy, producing ethanol and carbon dioxide as by-products.
Industrial fermentation is the intentional use of fermentation in manufacturing processes. In addition to the mass production of fermented foods and drinks, industrial fermentation has widespread applications in chemical industry. Commodity chemicals, such as acetic acid, citric acid, and ethanol are made by fermentation. [1]
Despite the bactericidal effects of ethanol, acidifying effects of fermentation, and low oxygen conditions of industrial alcohol production, bacteria that undergo lactic acid fermentation can contaminate such facilities because lactic acid has a low pKa of 3.86 to avoid decoupling the pH membrane gradient that supports regulated transport. [7]
The high concentration of lactic acid (the final product of fermentation) drives the equilibrium backwards (Le Chatelier's principle), decreasing the rate at which fermentation can occur and slowing down growth. Ethanol, into which lactic acid can be easily converted, is volatile and will readily escape, allowing the reaction to proceed easily.
The ABE fermentation via Clostridium beijerinckii or Clostridium acetobutylicum for instance is characterized by product inhibition. This means that there is a product concentration threshold that cannot be overcome, resulting in a product stream highly diluted in water. [11] Phase equilibrium diagram for 1-butanol–ethanol–water ternary mixture
This theory was corroborated by Liebig's observation that other decomposing matter, such as rotten plant and animal parts, interacted with sugar in a similar manner as yeast. That is, the decomposition of albuminous matter (i.e. water-soluble proteins) caused sugar to transform to alcohol. [4] [5] Liebig held this view until his death in 1873. [4]
Ethanol-water mixtures have less volume than the sum of their individual components at the given fractions. Mixing equal volumes of ethanol and water results in only 1.92 volumes of mixture. [75] [80] Mixing ethanol and water is exothermic, with up to 777 J/mol [81] being released at 298 K. Hydrogen bonding in solid ethanol at −186 °C
The natural occurrence of fermentation means it was probably first observed long ago by humans. [3] The earliest uses of the word "fermentation" in relation to winemaking was in reference to the apparent "boiling" within the must that came from the anaerobic reaction of the yeast to the sugars in the grape juice and the release of carbon dioxide.