0000000000948879
AUTHOR
M. Teresa Fernández-espinar
Analysis of the genetic variability in the species of theSaccharomyces sensu strictocomplex
Random amplified polymorphic DNA–polymerase chain reaction (RAPD–PCR) analysis was applied to differentiate the sibling species Saccharomyces bayanus, S. cerevisiae, S. paradoxus and S. pastorianus, which constitute the most common strains of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto complex. Six decamer primers of arbitrary sequences were used to amplify the DNA of 58 strains. Species-specific (diagnostic) bands were obtained for each species. Two phylogenetic trees constructed by the neighbour-joining and maximum parsimony methods clearly showed that the delimitation of these related yeast species is possible by using RAPD analysis. Four groups of strains, corresponding to the species S. bayanus, S…
A new PCR-based method for monitoring inoculated wine fermentations.
A new PCR-based method has been developed to monitor inoculated wine fermentations. The method is based on the variation in the number and position of introns in the mitochondrial gene COX1. Oligonucleotide primers homologous to the regions flanking the Saccharomyces cerevisiae COX1 introns have been designed and tested for S. cerevisiae wine yeast strain differentiation. Four primers were selected for their subsequent use in a multiplex PCR reaction and have proved to be very effective in uncovering polymorphism in natural and commercial yeast strains. An important point is that the speed and simplicity of the technique, which does not require the isolation of DNA, allows early detection o…
Adaptive evolution of wine yeast.
Abstract Alcoholic fermentation is one of the main phases in wine production. It is usually conducted by yeasts belonging to the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Industrial S. cerevisiae strains are highly specialized organisms, which have evolved to utilize to their full potential the different environments or ecological niches. So, during the alcoholic fermentation, the yeast has been adapted to different kinds of stress conditions; this adaptation is call “domestication”. In this review, we describe the different mechanisms involved in the adaptive evolution of wine yeast strains.
Authentication and identification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae‘flor’ yeast races involved in sherry ageing
Yeasts involved in velum formation during biological ageing of sherry wine have to date been classified into four races of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (beticus, cheresiensis, montuliensis, rouxii) according to their abilities to ferment different sugars. It has been proposed that race succession during biological ageing is essential for the development of the organoleptical properties of sherry wines. In this work we studied the physiological characteristics, the molecular differentiation and the phylogenetic relationships of the four races employing type and reference strains from culture collections and natural environments. Using restriction analysis of the ribosomal region that includes th…
Molecular Identification and Characterization of Wine Yeasts
The transformation of grape must into wine is a complex microbiological process involving the sequential growth of bacteria and yeasts, although only the yeasts are responsible for alcoholic fermentation. In the past, winemaking was purely empirical, but it is now a well-understood, controlled process that has been gradually improved over time. Advances have largely been made possible by the development of molecular techniques to identify and characterize wine yeasts based on analysis of their DNA. These methods are rapid, reproducible, and sensitive, and continue to be used for a variety of purposes, such as analyzing variation in naturally occurring and inoculated yeast populations, monit…