Genetic and Biochemical Analysis of the Ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Decarboxylate Cinnamic Acids

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Decarboxylation of ferulate to 4-vinylguaiacol is associated with the production of a phenolic off-flavour in beer. The ability (Pof+) of non-brewing strains of Saccharomyces cereuisiae to carry out this reaction has been assigned, by tetrad analysis, to a single nuclear gene. This gene (POFI) is dominant in heterozygous diploids and segregates independently from MATa/MA Ta, lys2 and DEXI. Therefore, elimination of the Pof+ phenotype from strains intended for brewing is feasible by either mutation or genetic segregation. Since ferulate was decarboxylated by cell-free supernatants derived from Pof+ strains, but not by similar fractions from Pof- strains, POFI encodes production of a cellular decarboxylase. Strains carrying POFI also decarboxylated coumarate and cinnamate in vivo, but with caffeate, 4-hydroxybenzoate, 4-hydroxyphenylace- tate, styrylacetate, mandelate or phenylpropionate as substrates, the corresponding decarboxy- lation products were not detected. POFl may confer resistance to inhibitory effects of naturally occurring cinnamates on yeast growth.
Keywords

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: