Isobutanol production by Candida glabrata – A potential organism for future fuel demands

Due to global concern on the sustainability of energy from fossil fuels, isobutanol as a biofuel has urged attention in recent years due to its high octane number, higher blending capacity, low vapour pressure and higher energy content. The present study reports a novel wild strain, Candida glabrata, which produces isobutanol under submerged fermentation condition. Different process parameters have been optimized by both conventional as well as statistical methods. The production of isobutanol is enhanced in the presence of valine and this attribute the degradation pathway of valine is highly depend on isobutanol production. Under optimized condition, the yield of isobutanol is increased from 0.19 g/L to 0.96 g/L. This strain has not yet reported for the production of isobutanol.