Open AccessThe role of acetaldehyde and glycerol in the adaptation to ethanol stress of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeasts
Author(s) -
Vriesekoop Frank,
Haass Cornelia,
Pamment Neville B.
Publication year - 2009
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 - 10.1111/j.1567-1364.2009.00492.x
Subject(s) - acetaldehyde , ethanol , glycerol , saccharomyces cerevisiae , yeast , fermentation , biology , ethanol fuel , nad+ kinase , biochemistry , ethanol fermentation , food science , enzyme
Ethanol inhibition is a commonly encountered stress condition during typical yeast fermentations and often results in reduced fermentation rates and production yields. While past studies have shown that acetaldehyde addition has a significant ameliorating effect on the growth of ethanol‐stressed Saccharomyces cerevisiae , this study investigated the potential ameliorating effect of acetaldehyde on a wide range of ethanol‐stressed yeasts. Acetaldehyde does not appear to be a universal ameliorating agent for yeasts exposed to ethanol stress. It is also shown that as a result of an ethanol stress, most yeasts rapidly produce glycerol as an alternative means of NAD + regeneration rather than having a specific requirement for glycerol. The results strongly suggest that both ethanol and acetaldehyde exposure have a direct effect on the cellular NAD + /NADH ratio, which can manifest itself as modulations in glycerol production.