Despite being considered renewable, corn (Zea mays) ethanol still generates much debate over the use of fossil fuels in its production and is considered less sustainable than sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) ethanol. In Brazil, corn ethanol is starting to be produced in the Center-West and is expected to increase with the RenovaBio, a promising policy for biofuels adoption. In this context, energy cane (Saccharum spp.) is a biomass crop with high yields that can provide bagasse to supply the energy demand of the corn ethanol industry and provide juice with about 10% sugar content. However, the effects of introducing its juice in the production process are unknown. For these reasons, the objective of this study was to assess the effects of adding energy cane juice in corn ethanol production. Energy cane juice brings several advantages: (i) It provides sugars that can reduce by almost 50% the amount of corn and enzymes used, (ii) reduces the amount of water needed for ethanol production, and (iii) increases significantly the fermentation efficiency from 86.4% to 90.8% by providing minerals that support yeast growth. Therefore, energy cane can be integrated into the corn ethanol production process, making the fermentation more efficient and the production systems more sustainable.

Recently, in Brazil, corn ethanol industries are being installed and the integration with sugar/energy-cane has been proposed, using bagasse for cogeneration and the juice to dilute the corn. However, this integration may have some limitations, such as the quality of the cane juice and potential contamination by microorganisms brought with the cane from the field. In this article, we first tested the effects of mixing energy cane juice with corn on fermentative parameters. We also assessed the effects of Lactobacilli. contamination on organic acids produced during the fermentation and fermentation parameters and proposed the use of ionizing radiation to replace antibiotics as a disinfection control method. Our results showed that mixing energy cane juice with corn does not have any negative effect on fermentation parameters, including ethanol production. The contamination with Lactobacilli. considerably increased the production of acetic, lactic, and succinic acid, reducing the pH and ethanol content from 89.2 g L⁻¹ in the sterilized treatment to 72.9 g L⁻¹ in the contaminated treatment. Therefore, for the integration between corn and cane to be applied on an industrial scale, it is essential to have effective disinfection before fermentation. Ionizing radiation (20 kGy) virtually disinfected the wort, showing itself to be a promising technology; however, an economic viability study for adopting it in the industry should be carried out.

Brazil is the second-largest producer of ethanol and the alcoholic fermentation wastes have become a concern for both environmental and economic reasons. Recently, the Brazilian industry has implemented the second generation (2G) process to attend the growing for biofuel. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the 2G vinasse faces the same environmental challenges that first generation (1G) vinasses do, meaning vinasses from ethanol processes using sugarcane juice and/or molasses. Thus, vinasse was obtained from one of the recently-started 2G ethanol facilities in São Paulo State and then chemically characterized. Considering glycerol, mannitol, residual sugars, and organic acids concentrations altogether, it was determined that 2G vinasse had a total carbon source of 23,050 mg L-1 (compared to 4,800 mg L-1 in 1G vinasse). Magnesium, calcium, potassium, and others salts were determined as well. Based on its chemical composition, vinasses could be considered as nutrient sources for other bioprocesses. Finally, we brought some perspectives into bioprocesses with nutritional requirements that might be fully or partially provided by vinasses, leading to the production of bioenergy or bioproducts.

A importância da liderança no desempenho de projetos vem sendo tema de estudos nas últimas décadas. Parte desses estudos também expõe as dificuldades no processo de transformação de especialistas em gestores, que deve ocorrer a fim de que esses profissionais desenvolvam funções gerencias relacionadas ao desempenho da equipe nos projetos. Desse modo, torna-se essencial para o líder compreender quais competências ele deverá atender ou desenvolver a fim de conduzir o grupo para o sucesso do projeto, bem como em quais fases do projeto sua atuação é mais importante. Assim, o presente trabalhotem como objetivo esclarecer tais pontos, bem como confirmar a importância da liderança na performance dos projetos pelo ponto de vista de seus membros. A metodologia utilizada para a captação de respostas foi a aplicação de um questionário on-line. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a visão estratégica do líder é considerada a competência mais importante para o sucesso dos projetos e que, em geral, as competências gerenciais têm papel de destaque frente às demais, confirmando, portanto, a importância do desenvolvimento das funções de gestão para novos líderes. A participação da gestão foi considerada mais essencial na etapa de planejamento. E, finalmente, a importância do líder para o sucesso dos projetos foi confirmada pelo ponto de vista dos próprios membros do projeto, sendo 50% das notas atribuídas à essa questão superior ou igual a 09, em umaescala de 0 a 10.

Spent yeast represents a promising opportunity for value-added applications. This study proposes its biofortification as a source of organic selenium (Se)-enriched supplements. Se is an essential component of the glutathione (GSH) system, playing a critical role in decomposing lipid peroxidation products and protecting cellular membranes. We evaluated the effects of sodium selenite (Na₂SeO₃) supplementation on enzymatic activity, oxidative stress markers, and biomass production of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Thermosacc ^® , cultivated in corn hydrolysate—a non-synthetic medium that provides a more realistic representation of industrial environments—under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Antioxidant responses were assessed via glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities, while oxidative stress was measured through hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Yeasts were grown with 0, 200, and 400 mg L ⁻¹ Na₂SeO₃. The highest enzymatic activities were observed in AE400 (GPx: 5.35 μmol mg ⁻¹ , GR: 3.39 μmol mg ⁻¹ , GST: 0.035 μmol mg ⁻¹ ), indicating enhanced antioxidant defenses under aerobic Se supplementation. However, increased Se concentrations also elevated H₂O₂ and MDA levels—especially in aerobic conditions—likely due to intensified ROS generation. Consequently, biomass production and growth parameters declined, suggesting an energy trade-off in which antioxidant defense is prioritized over cell proliferation. These findings highlight Se’s dual role as both an antioxidant and a pro-oxidant at elevated concentrations. This study advances understanding of yeast redox biology and supports the integration of Se-enriched yeast production into industrial fermentation as a sustainable strategy for generating high-value functional ingredients for food and feed applications.