The Importance of Yeasts on Fermentation Quality and Human Health-Promoting Compounds

Abstract

Non-Saccharomyces are important during wine fermentation once they influence wine composition. In the early stages of wine fermentation, and together with indigenous or commercial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, non-Saccharomyces are able to transform grape-must sugars into ethanol, CO2, and other important secondary metabolites. A better understanding of yeast biochemistry will allow the selection of yeast strains that have defined specific influences on fermentation efficiency, wine quality, and the production of human health-promoting compounds. Yeast metabolism produces compounds derived from tryptophan, melatonin, and serotonin, which are found in fermented beverages, such as wine and beer. Melatonin is a neurohormone secreted from the pineal gland and has a wide-ranging regulatory and neuroprotective role, while serotonin, as well as being a precursor of melatonin synthesis, is also a neurotransmitter. This review summarizes the importance of some conventional and nonconventional yeast strains’ alcoholic fermentations, especially in the production of metabolites that promote human health and thus, attract consumers attention towards fermented beverages. A brief reference is also made on fermented beverages containing probiotics, namely kombucha, also known as kombucha tea, and its interesting microorganism’s symbiotic relationships named SCOBY.

Non-Alcoholic and Craft Beer Production and Challenges

“…Except some specific strains of lactic acid bacteria, which are found in some special beers, namely the "sour beers" (Flanders Red Ale, Framboise, Kriek, the latest two also known as fruit Lambic beers), they are considered the spoilage bacteria in beer, which causes off-flavor development, which is mainly attributed to the formation of lactic acid and diacetyl [48,82,83]. The fermentation processes applied to foods and beverages in various technologies and operations are used to convert perishable and indigestible raw materials into pleasant foods and drinkable beverages with added value and high stability [84].…”

Climate Changes and Food Quality: The Potential of Microbial Activities as Mitigating Strategies in the Wine Sector

“…The most promising species among non-Saccharomyces is Lachancea thermotolerans [9,70] due to a considerable aptitude to produce lactic acid [59,64]. Moreover, the use of L. thermotolerans has been proposed in combination with Schizosaccharomyces pombe [71,72], a yeast capable of converting malic acid in ethanol to mimic classic malolactic fermentation (the decarboxylation of malic acid to lactic acid) [64].…”

“…Within the macro-category of fermented products, wine belongs to the group of fermented alcoholic beverages [7]. Yeasts are responsible for alcoholic fermentation (AF) and more generally, for biochemical changes linked to the chemical transformation of must obtained from grapevine crushing in wine [9][10][11]. Among oenological yeasts, the following categories can be found: (i) Yeast belonging to the Saccharomyces genera, and particularly to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae species, which are mainly responsible for alcoholic fermentation in wine [10][11][12]; and (ii) the heterogeneous category of the so-called non-Saccharomyces yeasts [10,11,13].…”

Never Change a Brewing Yeast? Why Not, There Are Plenty to Choose From

“…While some anthropologists believe that the discovery to process foods over an open fire as much as 1.8 million years ago was crucial for the evolution of the human species, the early history of human societies is unquestionably linked to the domestication of plants and animals ( Zeder, 2006 ), and the subsequent development of fermented foods during the Neolithic period ( Tamang et al, 2020 ). Fermented beverages have been an important part of civilizations for economic and health reasons for thousands of years ( Campbell-Platt, 1994 ; Vilela, 2019 ), and alcoholic beverages in particular played a vital role in their traditional culture and social life ( Legras et al, 2007 ; Dietrich et al, 2012 ).…”