Norwegian Kveik brewing yeasts are adapted to higher temperatures and produce fewer off-flavours under heat stress than commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae American Ale yeast

Norwegian kveik are a recently described family of domesticated Saccharomyces cerevisiae brewing yeasts used by farmhouse brewers in western Norway for generations to produce traditional Norwegian farmhouse ale. Kveik ale yeasts have been domesticated by farmhouse brewers through serial repitching of the yeast in warm wort (>30°C) punctuated by long periods of dry storage. Kveik yeasts are alcohol tolerant, flocculant, capable of utilizing maltose/maltotriose, phenolic off flavour negative, and exhibit elevated thermotolerance when compared to other modern brewer's yeasts belonging to the 'Beer 1' clade. However, the optimal fermentation and growth temperatures (Topt) for kveik ale yeasts and the influence of fermentation temperature of the production of flavour-active metabolites like fusel alcohols and sulfur compounds (H2S, SO2) are not known. Here we show that kveik ale yeasts have an elevated optimal fermentation temperature (Topt) when compared to commercial American Ale yeast (SafAle™ US-05) and that they produce fewer off-flavours at high temperatures (>30°C) when compared to commercial American Ale yeasts. The tested kveik yeasts show significantly higher maximum fermentation rates than American Ale yeast not only at elevated temperatures (>30°C), but also at 'typical' ale fermentation temperatures (20°C-25°C). Finally, we demonstrate that kveik ale yeasts are heterogeneous in their Topt and that they attenuate standard wort robustly above their Topt unlike our control American Ale yeast which showed very poor apparent attenuation in our standard wort at temperatures >> Topt. Our results provide further support that kveik yeasts may possess favourable fermentation kinetics and sensory properties compared to American Ale yeasts. The observations here provide a roadmap for brewers to fine tune their commercial fermentations using kveik ale yeasts for optimal performance and/or flavour impact.

Cryopreservation: The secret of modern preservation of brewer’s yeasts – minireview

The aim of the long-term preservation of cells, tissues and organs is to maintain their cellular structures and biological functions for as long as possible. Cryopreservation is a process where biological material is stored and preserved at very low temperatures. However, freezing and thawing processes can cause irreversible cell damage, which is related to formation of ice crystals, osmotic stress, accumulation of reactive forms of oxygen, etc. Therefore the cell viability depends mainly on the freezing rate, the composition of the cryoprotective medium as well as on the thawing rate. Using a suitable cryoprotective medium can increase the viability rate of the yeasts after “revitalization“. Appropriate pre-cultivation before freezing also plays an important role. These facts show that cell freezing and thawing processes must be controlled to avoid cell damage.

Methionine and Glycine Stabilize Mitochondrial Activity in Sake Yeast During Ethanol Fermentation

Addition of amino acids to fermentation media affects the growth and brewing profiles of yeast. In addition, retaining mitochondrial activity during fermentation is critical for the fermentation profiles of brewer’s yeasts. However, a concrete mechanism linking amino acids in fermentation media with mitochondrial activity during fermentation of brewer’s yeasts is yet unknown. Here, we report that amino acids in fermentation media, especially methionine (Met) and glycine (Gly), stabilize mitochondrial activity during fermentation of sake yeast. By utilizing atg32Δ mutant sake yeast, which shows deteriorated mitochondrial activity, we screened candidate amino acids that strengthened the mitochondrial activity of sake yeast during fermentation. We identified Met and Gly as candidate amino acids that fortify mitochondrial activity in sake yeast during fermentation. To confirm this biochemically, we measured reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in sake yeast fermented with Met and Gly. Yeast cells supplemented with Met and Gly retained high ROS levels relative to the non-supplemented sake yeast. Moreover, Met-supplemented cells showed a metabolome distinct from that of non-supplemented cells. These results indicate that specific amino acids such as Met and Gly stabilize the mitochondrial activity of sake yeast during fermentation and thus manipulate brewing profiles of yeast.