Batch kinetics and modelling of ethanolic fermentation of whey

The fermentation of whey by Kluyveromyces marxianus strain MTCC 1288 was studied using varying lactose concentrations at constant temperature and pH. The increase in substrate concentration up to a certain limit was accompanied by an increase in ethanol formation, for example, at a substrate concentration of 10 g L−1, the production of ethanol was 0.618 g L−1 whereas at 50 g L−1 it was 3.98 g L−1. However, an increase in lactose concentration to 100 g L−1 led to a drastic decrease in product formation and substrate utilization. The maximum ethanol yield was obtained with an initial lactose concentration of 50 g L−1. A method of batch kinetics was utilized to formulate a mathematical model using substrate and product inhibition constants. The model successfully simulated the batch kinetics observed at S0 = 10 and 50 g L−1 but failed in case of S0 = 100 g L−1 because of strong substrate inhibition.