Reduced cycle time data set

The research seeks to assess the feasibility of obtaining a higher ethanol yield in the fermentation of molasses to produce rum. It will be an industry-based project, associated with Bundaberg Distilling Company, a subsidiary of Diageo Australia. Evaluation of their current production process has revealed a financially significant inefficiency with an ethanol yield of 85 % obtained from the fermentable sugars present in molasses, the feedstock of rum fermentations. For any industrial fermentation process, the fermentation medium and fermentation process conditions play a critical role because they affect the formation, concentration and yield of a particular fermentation product thus affecting the overall process economics. The research will therefore investigate processes that influence fermentation and assess whether a higher ethanol yield can be obtained to optimize the fermentation process. Further to that, the study will seek to understand the reasons of the observed inconsistencies in the fermentation outputs of various batches. The impact of molasses and other raw materials on the fermentation process will be investigated, seeking to understand the optimum parameters for use in fermentation. Focused studies on chemical, physical, and microbiological parameters will provide a clear depiction of the raw material composition and processes influencing and leading up to fermentation in a way to explore and establish methods of fermentation optimization during the production of Bundaberg rum product.

本研究旨在评估以糖蜜为原料发酵生产朗姆酒过程中提升乙醇得率的可行性。本项目为产业合作型研究，合作方为帝亚吉欧澳大利亚（Diageo Australia）旗下子公司邦迪堡酿酒公司（Bundaberg Distilling Company）。对该公司现有生产流程的评估显示，当前以糖蜜（朗姆酒发酵的原料）中的可发酵糖为底物时，乙醇得率仅为85%，存在造成显著经济损失的低效问题。对于任何工业发酵流程而言，发酵培养基与工艺条件均发挥关键作用，其会影响目标发酵产物的生成、浓度与得率，进而影响整个流程的经济性。因此，本研究将探究影响发酵过程的各类因素，并评估是否可通过提升乙醇得率来优化发酵工艺。此外，本研究还将尝试解析不同批次发酵产物存在差异的成因。本研究将探究糖蜜及其他原料对发酵过程的影响，以明确发酵过程的最优工艺参数。通过针对化学、物理及微生物学参数的针对性研究，可清晰阐明原料组成以及影响发酵进程与前置流程的各类因素，进而探索并确立邦迪堡朗姆酒生产过程中的发酵优化方案。