The inulin polysaccharide is obtained from Jerusalem artichokes which can be grown on marginal land subjected to drought or salinity. The process established at CAS Qingdao’s QIBEBT comprises bio-processing technology with inulinase production, inulin hydrolysis and yeast fermentation to ethanol and leads to ethanol yield of 79.7% at 40 ° C, ethanol production was 65.2 g/L. After metabolic engineering, conversion efficiency was improved at 250g/L substrate to 81.8g/L ethanol and a conversion rate of 92%.

CAS news release, July 23, 2016