Abstract: In this paper, microwave pretreatment of cassava substituted the traditional cooking and liquefaction process during alcohol fermentation and the optimization of uncooking fermentation process by using microwave pretreated cassava was studied. The optimal fermentation conditions by using microwave pretreated cassava were obtained through orthogonal experiments and the results were as follows: the ratio of cassava and water was 1:2.8, the quantity of glucoamylase added at 180 U/g, the addition of active dry yeast was 0.3%, and the amount of nitrogen was 0.3%. Under the optimal conditions, the ethanol content in fermentation mash was 12.7% after fermentation at 30 ℃ for 72 h. The energy consumption of microwave pretreatment process can be saved at 30.8% compared with traditional cooking and liquefaction process.

Key words: alcohol, cassava, microwave, pretreatment, energy save