Modelagem e simulação do crescimento de Saccharomyces cerevisiae para a produção de hidromel

Abstract

Mead is one of the oldest fermented beverages, obtained through the fermentation of a solution of bee honey, water, and yeast, with the microorganism being Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The fermentation process of this beverage occurs in batch mode and, currently, mead holds significant economic importance, showing growth in its demand up to the present moment. This study aimed to model a mead fermentation process using the Monod kinetic method, substrate and product inhibition, along with the application of the Runge-Kutta numerical method. Mass balance calculations were performed for the biomass, substrate, and product components, considering that the studied process occurs in batch mode. Subsequently, the respective equations and the proposed numerical method were computationally implemented using Scilab software. The modeling and simulation of bioprocesses offer numerous advantages, such as saving time and resources, as laboratory experimentation is not necessary for the optimization of these processes. Consequently, through the modeling and simulation applied in this work, it is noted that the values approached reality, satisfactorily representing the substrate consumption and product formation through the fermentation process.