Exploiting the Non-conventional Yeast Spathaspora passalidarum as a Platform for Hemicellulosic Hydrolysate Conversion into Bioproducts: a Mini Review

Bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass (namely second-generation bioethanol) has been considered to be a great opportunity to increase production of biofuels from renewable sources without expanding the world planted area. Spathaspora passalidarum has shown great potential to convert sugars derived from lignocellulosic materials, which comprises hexoses and pentoses, into bioethanol. Besides its unusual ability to produce ethanol naturally from pentoses, this microorganism can also be used to obtain other products of interest. This review summarizes and discusses fermentative and kinetic parameters from the state of the art of ethanol production by S. passalidarum in synthetic medium and hemicellulosic hydrolysates. Additionally, S. passalidarum performance for xylose consumption and ethanol production are discussed in comparison with other wild yeasts and genetically modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae . In addition to ethanol, the production of other chemical blocks such as xylitol, glycerol, acetoin, and 2,3-butanediol are also discussed, elucidating the potential of S. passalidarum for application in biorefineries. The potential of S. passalidarum for studies of mutagenesis, evolutionary, and genetic modifications is also reviewed in this work.