The ZbYME2 gene from the food spoilage yeast Zygosaccharomyces bailii confers not only YME2 functions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but also the capacity for catabolism of sorbate and benzoate, two major weak organic acid preservatives

ABSTRACT Microbial spoilage of food causes losses of up to 40% of all food grown for human consumption worldwide. Yeast growth is a major factor in the spoilage of foods and beverages that are characterized by a high sugar content, low pH, and low water activity, and it is a significant economic problem. While growth of spoilage yeasts such as Zygosaccharomyces bailii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae can usually be retarded by weak organic acid preservatives, the inhibition often requires levels of preservative that are near or greater than the legal limits. We identified a novel synergistic effect of the chemical preservative benzoic acid and nitrogen starvation: while exposure of S. cerevisiae to either benzoic acid or nitrogen starvation is cytostatic under our conditions, the combination of the two treatments is cytocidal and can therefore be used beneficially in food preservation. In yeast, as in all eukaryotic organisms, survival under nitrogen starvation conditions requires a cellular response called macroautophagy. During macroautophagy, cytosolic material is sequestered by intracellular membranes. This material is then targeted for lysosomal degradation and recycled into molecular building blocks, such as amino acids and nucleotides. Macroautophagy is thought to allow cellular physiology to continue in the absence of external resources. Our analyses of the effects of benzoic acid on intracellular membrane trafficking revealed that there was specific inhibition of macroautophagy. The data suggest that the synergism between nitrogen starvation and benzoic acid is the result of inhibition of macroautophagy by benzoic acid and that a mechanistic understanding of this inhibition should be beneficial in the development of novel food preservation technologies.

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Genome Sequence of the Food Spoilage Yeast Zygosaccharomyces bailii CLIB 213T

Genome Announcements ◽

10.1128/genomea.00606-13 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 1 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

V. Galeote ◽

F. Bigey ◽

H. Devillers ◽

C. Neuveglise ◽

S. Dequin

Keyword(s):

Genome Sequence ◽

Food Spoilage ◽

Zygosaccharomyces Bailii ◽

Spoilage Yeast

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Study on the Inhibitory Activity of a Synthetic Defensin Derived from Barley Endosperm against Common Food Spoilage Yeast

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26010165 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 165

Author(s):

Laila N. Shwaiki ◽

Aylin W. Sahin ◽

Elke K. Arendt

Keyword(s):

Apple Juice ◽

Digestive Enzyme ◽

Inhibitory Effect ◽

Food Preservation ◽

Food Spoilage ◽

Inhibitory Effects ◽

Barley Endosperm ◽

Spoilage Yeast ◽

Spoilage Yeasts ◽

Spoilage Microorganisms

In the food industry, food spoilage is a real issue that can lead to a significant amount of waste. Although current preservation techniques are being applied to reduce the occurrence of spoilage microorganisms, the problem persists. Food spoilage yeast are part of this dilemma, with common spoilers such as Zygosaccharomyces, Kluyveromyces, Debaryomyces and Saccharomyces frequently encountered. Antimicrobial peptides derived from plants have risen in popularity due to their ability to reduce spoilage. This study examines the potential application of a synthetic defensin peptide derived from barley endosperm. Its inhibitory effect against common spoilage yeasts, its mechanisms of action (membrane permeabilisation and overproduction of reactive oxygen species), and its stability in different conditions were characterised. The safety of the peptide was evaluated through a haemolysis and cytotoxicity assay, and no adverse effects were found. Both assays were performed to understand the effect of the peptide if it were to be consumed. Its ability to be degraded by a digestive enzyme was also examined for its safety. Finally, the peptide was successfully applied to different beverages and maintained the same inhibitory effects in apple juice as was observed in the antiyeast assays, providing further support for its application in food preservation.

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Antioxidative, Antifungal and Additive Activity of the Antimicrobial Peptides Leg1 and Leg2 from Chickpea

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10030585 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 585

Author(s):

Marie-Louise Heymich ◽

Laura Nißl ◽

Dominik Hahn ◽

Matthias Noll ◽

Monika Pischetsrieder

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Ascorbic Acid ◽

Bacillus Subtilis ◽

Antifungal Activity ◽

Antimicrobial Peptides ◽

Antioxidative Activity ◽

Radical Scavenging ◽

Cytotoxic Effects ◽

Zygosaccharomyces Bailii

The fight against food waste benefits from novel agents inhibiting spoilage. The present study investigated the preservative potential of the antimicrobial peptides Leg1 (RIKTVTSFDLPALRFLKL) and Leg2 (RIKTVTSFDLPALRWLKL) recently identified in chickpea legumin hydrolysates. Checkerboard assays revealed strong additive antimicrobial effects of Leg1/Leg2 with sodium benzoate against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis with fractional inhibitory concentrations of 0.625 and 0.75. Additionally, Leg1/Leg2 displayed antifungal activity with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 500/250 µM against Saccharomyces cerevisiae and 250/125 µM against Zygosaccharomyces bailii. In contrast, no cytotoxic effects were observed against human Caco-2 cells at concentrations below 2000 µM (Leg1) and 1000 µM (Leg2). Particularly Leg2 showed antioxidative activity by radical scavenging and reducing mechanisms (maximally 91.5/86.3% compared to 91.2/94.7% for the control ascorbic acid). The present results demonstrate that Leg1/Leg2 have the potential to be applied as preservatives protecting food and other products against bacterial, fungal and oxidative spoilage.

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