PROTEIN-CONCENTRATES FROM YEAST CULTURED IN WOOD HYDROLYSATES

Candida utilis NRRL Y-900 cells were cultured in glucose solutions gen erated by enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated Eucalyptus globulus wood. Yeast biomass was subjected to chemical treatments with NH4OH solutio ns in order to obtain protein concentrates with high nutritive value h aving low contents of nucleic acids and high digestibility. Under sele cted conditions, 95% of the initial nucleic acids were removed from ye ast cells. The protein recovery after the chemical treatments accounte d for 88% of the amount contained in untreated biomass. The protein co ncentrates showed high in-vitro digestibility, and their amino acid pr ofiles were not significantly altered in relation to those of untreate d cells.