Increased xerotolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae during an osmotic pressure ramp over several generations

Effect of different stress conditions on the formation of amino acid derivatives by Brewer's and Baker's yeast during fermentation

The effects of environmental stresses on the formation of amino acid derivatives by Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC 88 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC 79 were investigated. Fermentation was performed in model systems under different temperature, pH, alcohol, phenolic, and osmotic stress conditions, as well as in beer and dough. According to stress response molecules, yeasts were more affected by osmotic, temperature, and alcohol stresses. Both yeast strains increased the formation of kynurenic acid, tryptophan ethyl ester, tryptophol, and gamma-aminobutyric acid under osmotic stress conditions in model systems. Indole-3-acetic acid was found to be higher in the ferulic acid stress dough (262 µg/kg dry weight, d.w.) compared to the control dough (132 µg/kg d.w.) at the end of the fermentation. The results may enable the development of new strategies for designing novel foods with a desired composition of bioactive amino acid derivatives.

Food yeasts: occurrence, functions, and stress tolerance in the brewing of fermented foods

With the rapid development of systems biology technology, there is a deeper understanding of the molecular biological mechanisms and physiological characteristics of microorganisms. Yeasts are widely used in the food industry with their excellent fermentation performances. While due to the complex environments of food production, yeasts have to suffer from various stress factors. Thus, elucidating the stress mechanisms of food yeasts and proposing potential strategies to improve tolerance have been widely concerned. This review summarized the recent signs of progress in the variety, functions, and stress tolerance of food yeasts. Firstly, the main food yeasts occurred in fermented foods, and the taxonomy levels are demonstrated. Then, the main functions of yeasts including aroma enhancer, safety performance enhancer, and fermentation period reducer are discussed. Finally, the stress response mechanisms of yeasts and the strategies to improve the stress tolerance of cells are reviewed. Based on sorting out these related recent researches systematically, we hope that this review can provide help and approaches to further exert the functions of food yeasts and improve food production efficiency.