Fermentation data, raw material analysis

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.