Species-Dependent Metabolic Response to Lipid Mixtures in Wine Yeasts

Abstract

Lipids are essential energy storage compounds and are the core structural elements of all biological membranes. During wine alcoholic fermentation, the ability of yeasts to adjust the lipid composition of the plasma membrane partly determines their ability to cope with various fermentation-related stresses, including elevated levels of ethanol and the presence of weak acids. In addition, the lipid composition of grape juice also impacts the production of many wine-relevant aromatic compounds. Several studies have evaluated the impact of lipids and of their metabolism on fermentation performance and aroma production in the dominant wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but limited information is available on other yeast species. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of specific fatty acid and sterol mixtures on various non-Saccharomyces yeast fermentation rates and the production of primary fermentation metabolites. The data show that the response to different lipid mixtures is species-dependent. For Metschnikowia pulcherrima, a slight increase in carbon dioxide production was observed in media enriched with unsaturated fatty acids whereas Kluyveromyces marxianus fermented significantly better in synthetic media containing a higher concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids than monounsaturated fatty acids. Torulaspora delbrueckii fermentation rate increased in media supplemented with lipids present at an equimolar concentration. The data indicate that these different responses may be linked to variations in the lipid profile of these yeasts and divergent metabolic activities, in particular the regulation of acetyl-CoA metabolism. Finally, the results suggest that the yeast metabolic footprint and ultimately the wine organoleptic properties could be optimized via species-specific lipid adjustments.

Design of a new model yeast consortium for ecological studies of enological fermentation

“…In addition, our data presented species-related features, such as high glycerol and α-ketoglutaric acid production for M. pulcherrima or S. bacillaris monocultures. These characteristics have previously been described in monocultures in synthetic must (Englezos et al, 2018;Mbuyane et al, 2022) and in mixed fermentaions (Comitini et al, 2011;Englezos et al, 2017;Binati et al, 2020;Seguinot et al, 2020). Similarly, the great production of lactic acid observed here in L. thermotolerans monocultures is already known, even though it varies greatly between strains and conditions (Benito et al, 2015;Vaquero et al, 2020).…”

Non-Saccharomyces yeast derivatives: Characterization of novel potential bio-adjuvants for the winemaking process

“…In particular, in the case of S. cerevisiae the addition of fermentation additives including ergosterol and unsaturated fatty acids may result in the enhancement of yeast stress resistance and ethanol tolerance ( Landolfo et al, 2010 ; Casu et al, 2016 ; Ochando et al, 2017 ; Fairbairn et al, 2019 ) and influences the production of specific volatile compounds during alcoholic fermentation ( Varela et al, 2012 ; Duan et al, 2015 ; Fairbairn et al, 2019 ). Therefore, TIYs differing in lipid composition may be exploited to modulate starter yeast activity ( Mbuyane et al, 2021 , 2022 ).…”

Key enzymes involved in the utilization of fatty acids by Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a review

“…Compared with long-chain fatty acids, esters related to medium-chain fatty acids have an aroma and can be combined with other substances to form fuels; polymers can also be synthesized in materials, and are used in fields such as health care drugs, cosmetics, and foods to speed up metabolism ( Garces Daza et al, 2023 ). The accumulation of saturated long-chain fatty acids under fermentation conditions induces the release of medium-chain acyl-CoA by fatty acid synthase (FAS) complexes ( Mbuyane et al, 2022 ). To induce the production of more medium-chain fatty acids in S. cerevisiae , Pox1p was knocked down, while Pox2p (from Y. lipolytica ) and carnitine O-octanoyl transferase Crotp overexpression was induced; this resulted in the secretion and accumulation of medium-chain fatty acids in the medium, with a corresponding increase in medium-chain fatty content.…”