Removal of phenolic compounds from sugarcane syrup and impact on Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation for β-farnesene production

This work aimed to study for the first time the effects of phenolic compounds from sugarcane syrup on Saccharomyces cerevisiae β-farnesene fermentation by removing them from this feedstock. Syrup purification was optimized through a central composite design using five types of activated charcoal: three contact times (1–24 h) and three adsorbent concentrations (10–150 g L⁻¹). The optimal purification condition—charcoal pellets at 115 g L⁻¹ and contact time of 12.5 h—led to 96.7% of phenolic compounds removal and 43.7% of syrup recovery. The effects of reducing phenolic content from approximately 7.0–0.3 mg L⁻¹ in sugarcane syrup on yeast fermentation varied with the scale. An increase in biomolecule productivity was only observed in shake-flasks (11%) and in biomass productivity only in the 2 L bioreactor (12%). Thus, phenolic compounds from sugarcane syrup do not influence β-farnesene production at a large scale under the conditions tested.