Influence of thermal and osmotic stresses on the viability of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

This work studies the effect of thermal and dehydration kinetics on the viability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The influence of the rate of temperature (T) and osmotic pressure (pi) increases are first investigated. Results showed that yeast viability is preserved by slow variations of temperature or osmotic pressure in a precise range of T or pi. The influence of a previous thermal stress on the resistance to a hyperosmotic stress is also studied. Temperatures equal to or lower than 10 degrees C allowed the preservation of viability after an osmotic stress whereas temperatures above 10 degrees C did not preserve yeast survival.