Caracterização do processo de fermentação da cana-de-açúcar destinada à produção de etanol em indústria sucroalcooleira

This study characterized the industrial alcoholic fermentation of sugarcane juice at the Bioenergia de Bambuí mill (MG, Brazil) from April to November 2024. Monthly sampling of fermentation tanks, centrifugation, and distillation stages was carried out to measure pH, residual °Brix, alcohol content, total acidity, temperature, yeast viability, and bacterial counts. Two industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were compared, with strain B yielding an average of 73.5 L ethanol/t cane versus 71 L/t for strain A. All physicochemical parameters met regulatory standards, with final pH between 4.2–4.6 and final ethanol at 93– 94 % v/v. The hypothesis that operational conditions and yeast strain selection significantly affect yield was confirmed, underscoring the importance of pH control and strain choice for maximizing fermentation efficiency.