Open AccessAerobic sugar metabolism in the spoilage yeast Zygosaccharomyces bailii
Author(s) -
Merico Annamaria,
Capitanio Daniele,
Vigentini Ileana,
Ranzi Bianca Maria,
Compagno Concetta
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
fems yeast research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.991
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1567-1364
pISSN - 1567-1356
DOI - 10.1016/s1567-1356(03)00167-3
Subject(s) - fructose , pyruvate decarboxylase , biology , sugar , ethanol fermentation , yeast , biochemistry , alcohol dehydrogenase , fermentation , food spoilage , ethanol fuel , metabolism , food science , ethanol , bacteria , genetics
Despite the importance of some Zygosaccharomyces species as agents causing spoilage of food, the carbon and energy metabolism of most of them is yet largely unknown. This is the case with Zygosaccharomyces bailii . In this study the occurrence of the Crabtree effect in the petite‐negative yeast Z. bailii ATCC 36947 was investigated. In this yeast the aerobic ethanol production is strictly dependent on the carbon source utilised. In glucose‐limited continuous cultures a very low level of ethanol was produced. In fructose‐limited continuous cultures ethanol was produced at a higher level and its production increased with the dilution rate. As a consequence, on fructose the onset of respiro‐fermentative metabolism caused a reduction in biomass yield. An immediate aerobic alcoholic fermentation in Z. bailii was observed during the transition from sugar limitation to sugar excess, both on glucose and on fructose. The analysis of some key enzymes of the fermentative metabolism showed a high level of acetyl‐CoA synthetase in Z. bailii growing on fructose. At high dilution rates, the activities of glucose‐ and fructose‐phosphorylating enzymes, as well as of pyruvate decarboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase, were higher in cells during growth on fructose than on glucose.