Unstructured Kinetic Model for Tequila Batch Fermentation

Abstract

The desired product of the tequila fermentation process is ethanol. However, there are factors that may inhibit the alcohol production such as high substrate and ethanol concentrations present in the tequila must or culture medium. A model for predicting alcoholic fermentation behavior would be a valuable instrument for tequila research, due to the technical and economical implications. Therefore, an unstructured kinetic mathematical model taking into account substrate and product inhibition was proposed to predict tequila batch fermentation behavior. Several kinetic models were evaluated; the combination of the Moser and Luong kinetic model gave the best prediction. The nonlinear mathematical model performed satisfactory on biomass, substrate, and ethanol predictions.