ABSTRACT
Yeasts are used commercially in the traditional methods for ethanol production, but Zymornonas rnobilis, a bacterium that produces alcohol, is now being studied because of its potential for being used in fuel alcohol production. Zymornonas strains are found in fermenting plant juices in the tropics and are the fermentative agents in the production of alcohol beverages, such as pulque and palm wines. Utilization of Zymornonas strains for commercial ethanol production may require the application of process engineering, but here the use of genetic manipulation to improve Zymornonas that can produce ethanol from a wide range of sugars will be discussed. This chapter examines ethanol production from 10% whey powder, containing about 7% lactose, by the recombinant strain under similar conditions. For improvement of Zymornonas strains by recombinant DNA techniques, the basic genetic methods are well established: the host-vector system, the methods for gene introduction, and the methods for gene expression assisted by a Zymornonas promoter.
