초록
<P>Cassava starch can be converted into sugars by enzymatic hydrolysis to be used for ethanol production. In this work, the studied variables were starch and enzymes concentration seeking a higher conversion of the reducing sugars routine. Two series of experiments were conducted following the steps of gelatinization, liquefaction, and saccharification, ending with the fermentation step. It was found that a 100–250 times increase in α‐amylase concentration results in a 23% increase in the starch yield. Therefore, an optimal enzyme concentration could be found. The glucoamylase enzyme has proved to be more effective, evaluated by the rate of starch conversion (<I>k</I>), at a lower concentration of starch (10%), and enzyme (10 U/g). In simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), the hydrolysis yield was 33% higher than in a conventional process, achieving efficiencies higher than 70%. The solid residue separated after the SSF process proved to be a high‐quality animal feed additive.</P>