ABSTRACT
Economic analysis comes many years after novelty has worn off and most member companies have come up with equal or comparable technology. Releasing economic data carries a low risk. The economic analyses above were performed in April 1979 and are based upon Canadian figures for the selling price of spent brewers’ yeast. The outline and methodology are worth consulting for general application in performing economic calculations. Using various published correlations, plus reasonable assumptions and yield values, it appears that glucose is the most economical substrate. An extensive economic analysis is given by W. Fong et al. Increasing ethanol tolerance of the producing yeast would improve economic efficiency. In the analysis of single cell protein and ethanol ventures via microbial routes, one is struck by the many dislocations that have occurred at a macroeconomic scale. An excellent article on commercialization potentials for plant tissue culture includes a number of economic considerations.
