Ethanol Tolerance and Production by Yeasts

Ethanol is an industrially relevant chemical present in a wide range of products. At the industrial level, yeasts are the preferred microorganisms for ethanol production due to their valuable properties regarding ethanol yields, tolerance, productivity, resistance to inhibitors, and their suitability to grow in very simple and inexpensive media. In this article, we focus on the process of ethanol production by yeasts including the most relevant factors affecting ethanol production and tolerance. Additionally, the main approaches for strain engineering of ethanol producing yeasts are discussed.