TREHALOSE METABOLISM IN SACCHAROMYCES-CEREVISIAE DURING ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION

Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae accumulated intracellular trehalos e up to 105 mg/g cell dry wt with 90% survival. Viability could be cor related to trehalose levels during ethanol fermentation albeit the dis accharide did not seem to contribute to fermentation yields. Trehalose -6-phosphate synthase showed high activity (up to 279 mu/mg protein) e ven at high residual sucrose concentration (115 g/l) in the wort sugge sting to be a response of yeast cells to the osmotic stress conditions .