Inulin is a carbohydrate composed of linear chains of β-2,1-linked 
D-fructofuranose molecules terminated by a glucose residue through a 
sucrose-type linkage at the reducing end. Jerusalem artichoke (JA) is one of the 
most interesting materials among unconventional and renewable raw materials, 
with levels of inulin reaching 50-80% of dry matter. Inulin or inulin-rich 
materials can be actively hydrolyzed by microbial inulinases to produce glucose 
and fructose syrups that can be used in bioprocesses. In this study, several 
microbial strains were isolated and their ability to inulinase biosynthesis was 
evaluated. The novel yeast strain Talf1, identified as Zygosaccharomyces bailii, 
was the best inulinase producer, attaining 8.67 U/ml of inulinase activity when 
JA juice was used as the inducer substrate. Z. bailii strain Talf1 and/or its 
enzymatic crude extract were further applied for bioethanol production and 
biodesulfurization (BDS) processes, using inulin and JA juice as carbon source. 
In a consolidated bioprocessing for ethanol production from 200 g/l inulin, Z. 
bailii strain Talf1 was able to produce 67 g/l of ethanol. This ethanol yield 
was improved in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process, 
with the ethanologenic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae CCMI 885 and the Talf1 
inulinases, achieving a production of 78 g/l ethanol. However, the highest 
ethanol yield (∼48%) was obtained in a SSF process from JA juice (∼130 g/l 
fermentable sugars), where the S. cerevisiae produced 63 g/l ethanol. Relatively 
to the dibenzothiophene BDS tests, the Gordonia alkanivorans strain 1B achieved 
a desulfurization rate of 4.8 μM/h within a SSF process using Talf1 inulinases 
and JA juice, highlighting the potential of JA as a less expensive alternative 
carbon source. These results showed the high potential of Z. bailii strain Talf1 
inulinases as a versatile tool for bioprocesses using inulin-rich materials.