Additive effects of alcohols, their acidic by-products, and temperature on the yeast Pachysolen tannophilus

Abstract

The effects of alcohols on the growth and fermentation of the yeast Pachysolen tannophilus were investigated at both 30 and 35°C. Addition of alcohols to the culture medium decreased both the growth rate and the final cell yield in a dose-dependent manner, and this decrease was more severe at 35°C. The concentration for 50% growth rate inhibition decreased as the chain length of the alcohol increased. In fermentations using a high initial cell density, production of acids was always observed when the medium was supplemented with alcohols. Supplementation of the culture medium with a short-chain alcohol plus the corresponding acid was shown to exert an additive deleterious effect on fermentation, and this effect increased with temperature. Production of acids was associated with the presence of alcohol dehydrogenase activity in cell extracts.