Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits (LBDS) has signed an agreement with Toyota Motor Corporation to produce and market a new portfolio of yeast strains “TOYOTA XyloAce™” for cellulosic ethanol production in North America.

Toyota, through the use of gene recombination technology, has recently developed new yeast strains that will play an important role in the fermentation process for producing cellulosic ethanol. TOYOTA XyloAce™ strains are not only highly efficient at fermenting xylose and arabinose, but are also highly resistant to fermentation-inhibiting substances such as acetic acid. As a result, these yeast strains have achieved some of the highest ethanol fermentation density levels in the world, and are expected to improve biofuel yield and significantly reduce production costs.

Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits President, Angus Ballard comments “adding the TOYOTA XyloAce product line to our portfolio will allow our customers to choose from the very best cellulosic yeast strains available. We are proud to be working with Toyota and look forward to driving increased profitability for cellulosic ethanol producers throughout North America.”