Thermotolerant ethanol-producing yeast and ethanol production method utilizing the same

摘要

The present invention provides a novel yeast strain capable of producing ethanol through fermentation with a high degree of efficiency at a temperature of 37° C. or higher, preferably a temperature ranging from 40 to 49° C. or higher, and also a method for producing ethanol by utilizing the yeast strain, and further, ethanol produced by the method. Therefore, in the present invention, an yeast strain (Deposit No. NITE BP-283, etc) belonging to species Kluyveromyces marxianus isolated by a screening step using a culture medium containing sugar in a high concentration and ethanol, is cultured in a culture solution supplemented with 10 to 100 mM of sorbitol at 40 to 49° C.