Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations and other yeasts associated with indigenous beers (chicha) of Ecuador

Abstract

Chicha, a type of beer made mainly with maize or cassava, is a traditional fermented beverage of the Andean region. There have only been a few studies on yeasts associated with chicha fermentation, and the species diversity occurring during the production of this beverage is not known. The objective of this study was to determine the biodiversity of yeasts in chicha, and to characterize the Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations associated with the production of chicha de jora, seven-grain chicha, chicha de yuca, and chicha de morocho in Ecuador. The molecular diversity of S. cerevisiae populations was determined by restriction polymorphism mitochondrial profiles. The beverages were characterized based on their physicochemical parameters. Twenty-six species were identified, and the most prevalent species were S. cerevisiae and Torulaspora delbrueckii. Other yeast species were isolated at low frequencies. Among 121 isolates of S. cerevisiae, 68 different mtDNA molecular profiles were identified. These results showed that chichas are fermented by a high number of different strains of S. cerevisiae. Some other species provided a minor contribution to the fermentation process. The chicha presented generally similar physicochemical parameters to those observed for other traditional fermented beverages, and can be considered as an acid fermented beverage.

Bioprospecting for brewers: Exploiting natural diversity for naturally diverse beers

“…The existence of a microbial consortium including bacteria and yeasts is typical in these fermentations (Blandino, Al‐Aseeri, Pandiella, Cantero, & Webb, ). Currently, there are several publications related to the study of yeasts with fermentative potential isolated from traditional beverages; these include traditional beers of South America (Mendoza, Neef, Vignolo, & Belloch, ; Piló et al, ; Vallejo et al, ), Africa (Jespersen, ; Lyumugabe, Gros, Nzungize, Bajyana, & Thonart, ), Asia (Bing et al, ), and Europe (Spitaels et al, ), with Saccharomyces strains being the most studied. There is a considerable phenotypic diversity among S. cerevisiae strains isolated from various environments, due to large fluctuations in gene expression levels and environmental stress selection (Dussap & Poughon, ).…”

Ancestral fermented indigenous beverages from South America made from cassava (Manihot esculenta)

“…The most frequently found yeasts belong to the genus of Saccharomyces, Candida and Pichia, thanks to them an alcoholic fermentation and formation of aromatic compounds occurs, with this the growth of LAB is stimulated and the nutritional value of beverages is improved (Piló et al, 2018). Table 1 shows the main characteristics of the ancestral indigenous beverages.…”

“…Lactic acid is predominant at the end of fermentation, reporting values close to 4.72 and 4.58 (g/L). Additionally, in the presence of the Acetobacter genus (alcohol and sugar fermenting bacteria), acetic acid can be generated, the presence of glycerol has been 5 Physico-chemical parameters Cassava Chicha: According to Piló et al (2018), the final pH reaches average values of 3.94 and 4.15, when it has had from 1 to 4 days of fermentation. In general, pH values can reach ranges between 4.0 and 4.5.…”

“…Acidity is generated by the presence of lactic acid bacteria that increase after 48 hours. Approximately 90% of the LABs present in fermented cassava decrease the sugar Derka et al (2015) detected at values of 1.40 and 1.34 (g/L), and normally ethanol at values of 2.28 and 3.15 (g/L) (Piló et al, 2018;Yépez et al, 2017).…”

Role of Yeasts in the Brewing Process: Tradition and Innovation

“…Most of them belong to the following genera: Brettanomyces, Candida, Debaryomyces, Hanseniaspora, Kazachstania, Kluyveromyces, Lachancea, Metschnikowia, Meyerozyma, Pichia, Rhodotorula, Starmerella, Saccharomycodes, Saccharomycopsis, Torulaspora, Trichosporon, Wickerhamomyces, Williopsis, Yarrowia, Zygoascus, and Zygosaccharomyces. [73][74][75][76][77]. Compared to spontaneous fermentation, the use of mixed starters, composed of S. cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces selected strains, represents an interesting strategy to obtain an aromatic complexity, enhance desirable characteristics, and reduce or eliminate off-flavors [77].…”