Oxidative stress responses and lipid peroxidation damage are induced during dehydration in the production of dry active wine yeasts.

The tolerance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to desiccation is important for the use of this microorganism in the wine industry, since active dry wine yeast is routinely used as starter for must fermentations. Many studies have shown the complexity of the cellular effects caused by water loss, including oxidative injuries on macromolecular components. However the technological interest of yeast drying was not addressed in those studies, and the dehydration conditions were far from the industrial practice. In the present study a molecular approach was used to characterize the relevant injuring conditions during pilot plant dehydration under two different drying temperatures (i.e., 35 and 41 degrees C). We have analyzed expression changes for several stress gene markers and we have determined two biochemical redox indicators (glutathione and lipid peroxidation levels) during pilot plant dehydration to produce active dry biomass, according to the standard practice in industry. The main gene expression response involves the induction of genes TRR1 and GRX5, corresponding to the two main redox balance systems, thioredoxins and glutathione/glutaredoxins. Elevated glutathione content and significant lipid peroxidation damage indicate the physiological impact of the oxidative stress on cellular components. The comparison between commercial stocks and pilot plant samples demonstrate the suitability of the molecular approach at the pilot plant scale to study physiological traits of industrial yeast products. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.