The Effect of Light on Champagne Yeast Cell Growth and Ethanol Production Under Variable pH Conditions

The effect of wtlitc light on unaeraten growth of Baker's yeast and the accompanying ethanol production has been studied in a batch process at 27$^{\circ}C$. Over the 80-hour period of the Champagne yeast process without pH control, the cull growth was inhibited by the fluorescent light. Another observed difference between the runs is that the drop and subsequent rise in redox potential occurred much sooner in the fermentation with light than in the fermentation without light. This preliminary study indicated that ethanol production could be enhanced by light as the cell concentration is repressed. The possible pathway, shift of the sugar substrate toward ethanol and away from cells was manifested by another difference as well. As observed under the microscope, many of the yeast cells grown under light budded without dividing by the normal fission process as they did in the dark. Furthermore, the undivided and branched (light grown) cell did not agglutinate at the end of the fermentation process as did the distinct spherical (dark grown) cells.