Research progress of anti-environmental factor stress mechanism and anti-stress tolerance way of <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> during the brewing process

Abstract

<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> plays a decisive role in the brewing of alcohol products, and the ideal growth and fermentation characteristics can give the pure flavor of alcohol products. However, <i>S. cerevisiae</i> can be affected profoundly by environmental factors during the brewing process, which have negative effects on the growth and fermentation characteristics of <i>S. cerevisiae</i>, and seriously hindered the development of brewing industry. Therefore, we summarized the environmental stress factors (ethanol, organic acids, temperature and osmotic pressure) that affect <i>S. cerevisiae</i> during the brewing process. Their impact mechanisms and the metabolic adaption of <i>S. cerevisiae</i> in response to these stress factors. Of note, <i>S. cerevisiae</i> can increase the ability to resist stress factors by changing the cell membrane components, expressing transcriptional regulatory factors, activating the anti-stress metabolic pathway and enhancing ROS scavenging ability. Meantime, the strategies and methods to improve the stress- tolerant ability of <i>S. cerevisiae</i> during the brewing process were also introduced. Compared with the addition of exogenous anti-stress substances, mutation breeding and protoplast fusion, it appears that adaptive evolution and genetic engineering are able to generate ideal environmental stress tolerance strains of <i>S. cerevisiae</i> and are more in line with the needs of the current brewing industry.