Ethanol production from selected lignocellulosic hydrolysates by genome shuffled strains of Scheffersomyces stipitis

► Genome shuffled Scheffersomyces stipitis mutants tolerate hydrolysate inhibitors. ► The mutants grew and survived better in 3 other hydrolysates than the wild type. ► The mutants utilized and fermented xylose and glucose to ethanol in 3 hydrolysates. ► The wild type utilized xylose or glucose poorly and produced little ethanol. ► Genome shuffled S. stipitis mutants showed improved hydrolysate fermentation.