Abstract
Yeasts are very important microorganisms for food production. The high fermentative capacity, mainly of the species of the genus Saccharomyces, is a key factor for their biotechnological use, particularly to produce alcoholic beverages. As viability and vitality are essential to ensure their correct performance in industry, this review addresses the main aspects related to the cellular aging of these fungi as their senescence impacts their proper functioning. Laboratory strains of S. cerevisiae have proven a very successful model for elucidating the molecular mechanisms that control life span. Those mechanisms are shared by all eukaryotic cells. S. cerevisiae has two models of aging, replicative and chronological. Replicative life span is measured by the number of daughter cells a mother can produce. This kind of aging is relevant when the yeast biomass is reused, as in the case of beer fermentations. Chronological life span is measured by the time cells are viable in the stationary phase, and this is relevant for batch fermentations when cells are most of the time in a non-dividing state, such as wine fermentations. The molecular causes and pathways regulating both types of aging are explained in this review.
Highlights
Aging and death are parts of the life cycle of all organisms
The first part of this paper describes aging types, their molecular causes, and the mechanisms regulating them [1]
Very little information is available about the cellular longevity issue under these conditions, but as stress conditions and mechanisms share common elements [2], the main factors explained should be in place in other fermentation types, such as that which happens in bread making
Summary
The performance of yeast used in food production is dependent on the degree of cell viability and vitality at each point of their biotechnological use, so life span is an important aspect to be considered. The part highlights the particular aspects that impact the aging of Saccharomyces during wine, beer and sake production. It mentions some aspects of nonconventional yeasts present in particular fermentations. Very little information is available about the cellular longevity issue under these conditions, but as stress conditions and mechanisms share common elements [2], the main factors explained should be in place in other fermentation types, such as that which happens in bread making. The same may apply to other industrial fermentations conducted by S. cerevisiae, such as bioethanol production
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