The Commercial and Community Significance of Yeasts in Food and Beverage Production

Abstract

The history of yeast association with human society is synonymous with the evolution of bread, beer and wine as global food and beverage commodities, originating some 5,000 years ago. The microbial science of these products commenced in the mid-1600s with the first observations of yeast cells being reported by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (The Netherlands). The significance of these findings laid dormant until the classic studies of Pasteur (France) and Hansen (Denmark) during 1850–1900, which heralded the beginnings of the disciplines of microbiology and biochemistry. Subsequent studies by Guilliermond (France) and Kluyver (The Netherlands) in the early 1900s established yeasts as a unique group of microorganisms that had a major role in food and beverage production (Rose and Harrison 1969; Rose 1977). Since the 1950s, several classic texts have specifically highlighted the commercial and social significance of yeasts in foods and beverages (Cook 1958; Rose and Harrison 1970, 1993; Phaff et al. 1978; Skinner et al. 1980; Spencer and Spencer 1990; Reed and Nagodawithana 1991; Deak and Beuchat 1996; Boekhout and Robert 2003). Today, the impact of yeasts on food and beverage production extends beyond the original and popular notions of bread, beer and wine fermentations by Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Table 1.1). In a positive context, they contribute to the fermentation of a broad range of other commodities, where various yeast species may work in concert with bacteria and filamentous fungi. Many valuable food ingredients and processing aids are now derived from yeasts. Some yeasts exhibit strong antifungal activity, enabling them to be exploited as novel agents in the biocontrol of food spoilage. The probiotic activity of some yeasts is another novel property that is attracting increasing interest. Unfortunately, there is also a darker side to yeast activity. Their ability to cause spoilage of many commodities, with major economic loss, is well known in many sectors of the food and beverage industries, while the public health significance of yeasts in foods and beverages is a topic of emerging concern. This chapter defines the scope and diversity of the many beneficial and Chapter 1