A method of making an ethanol composition and a separate galactose composition by fermentation

Abstract

A method of making an ethanol composition and a separate galactose composition by fermentation is described. The method does not require wheat substrates and does not require a distillation step to separate out the ethanol. The methods comprises treating the lactose containing substrate with a beta-galactosidase enzyme to provide an enzyme treated substrate in which at least some of the lactose in the substrate has been enzymatically converted into glucose and galactose, fermenting in a fermentation medium comprising the enzyme-treated substrate a glucose fermenting yeast to provide a fermentation broth containing ethanol and galactose, and separating the fermentation broth into an ethanol composition and a separate galactose composition. The fermentation broth is generally separated by reverse osmosis into a retentate and a permeate, in which the permeate is the ethanol composition and the retentate is the galactose composition.

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