Mechanisms of acetic acid resistance in spoilage yeasts

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Currently one third of world food production is lost through spoilage. It is therefore very important to develop improved methods for the large-scale preservation of food materials. Many of the chemical preservatives approved for use in foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals are weak organic acids. These are natural compounds with a long history of apparently safe use and legislation, particularly in the EU, is unlikely to approve large-scale use of newer, more effective preservatives. A major drawback with these weak acids is that they must often be used at high level in order to inhibit growth of spoilage moulds and yeasts. Thus the resistance of spoilage yeasts to these preservatives is the major obstacle preventing a lowering of the preservative levels in many foods and beverages. We have been unravelling the weak acid preservative resistance systems of spoilage yeasts, having now established a world lead in this area. This project is focussed on understanding how spoilage yeasts become resistant to acetic acid, an understanding that will help the food industry use lower levels of acetate in preservation, thus helping to satisfy consumer demand for less-heavily preserved products, whilst maintaining microbiological safety and stability in the face of ever-tightening legislation on the use of a limited number of preservatives.It will also help the wine industry prevent acetate inhibition of the yeast during the initial stages of wine fermentations.