Produccion de bioetanol a partir de cultivos contaminados: una alternativa para salvar las cosechas da?adas

摘要

In this study, we evaluate the influence exerted by the presence of fumonisins in corn used as feedstock forthe production of bioethanol. With fermentation experiments at laboratory scale, using corn with increasingconcentrations of fumonisin as raw material, three basic parameters of the fermentation process (efficiency,productivity and performance) are compared and the final concentration of ethanol and initial starch content inthe raw material are contrasted. For values of 0 and 1,400 ppm of fumonisins in corn, the average concentrationof ethanol produced was 6.05% (w/w) and 3.23% (w/w), respectively. In addition, the three parameters analyzeddecreased with increasing contamination level. The results showed that corn contaminated with fumonisin couldbe used as feedstock for ethanol production in conventional fermentation processes, being reasonable to use itup to a concentration not exceeding 140 ppm fumonisin.