The inclusion of specific salts in Zymomonas mobilis batch sucrose fermentations can limit by-product formation. Sorbitol and fructo-oligosaccharide formation can be reduced and ethanol production enhanced by manipulating mineral salt concentrations. Chloride salts reduced the production of biomass and sorbitol in favour of fructo-oligosaccharide formation at concentrations lower than 10 g NaCl/1 or MgC12. Higher concentrations led to the accumulation of glucose and fructose. Low concentrations of KH2PO4 (<20 g/l) enhanced biomass formation, and the concomitant reduction in sorbitol and fructo-oligosaccharides favoured enhanced ethanol formation. At concentrations above 20 g/l, its effects were similar to those obtained with the chloride salts. Invertase addition at the start of fermentation increased sorbitol formation, whereas addition after the completion of sucrose hydrolysis resulted in the conversion of fructo-oligosaccharides formed into fructose or ethanol. Fermentation with 250 g/1 of sugar-cane syrup (= 130 g sucrose/l) in the presence of 8 g KH2PO4/I, with 0.05 g invertase/1 added on the completion of sucrose hydrolysis, resulted in a conversion efficiency of 94% with complete carbon accountability, and only 7 g sorbitol/1.