Study of the differences in the fermentative metabolism of s. Cerevisiae, s. Uvarum and s. Kudriavzevii species

Abstract

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, besides being an important model organism in biology, is undoubtedly the most widely used yeast species in industrial fermentation processes, including the winemaking sector. Its ability to ferment at high levels of sugars, tolerate high ethanol concentrations and withstand the addition of sulfites are some of the factors explaining its success in wine fermentation. Accordingly, the fermentative metabolism of S. cerevisiae under oenological conditions is well described and benefits from a large scientific literature. In contrast, little is known about the metabolism of the cryotolerant Saccharomyces species, S. uvarum and S. kudriavzevii, which have recently attracted the interest of the wine industry for their good fermentative properties at low temperatures, such as the production of wines with higher glycerol content, high aromatic complexity and sometimes even reduced ethanol content. In this context, this thesis aims to expand our knowledge on the fermentative metabolism of S. uvarum and S. kudriavzevii under oenological conditions, deepening our understanding of the existing differences with that of S. cerevisiae, as well as between S. cerevisiae strains of different origins. For this purpose, we have used several omics techniques to analyze the dynamics of the (intra- and extracellular) metabolomes and/or transcriptomes of representative strains of S. cerevisiae, S. uvarum and S. kudriavzevii at high (25 °C) and low (12 °C) fermentation temperatures. Also, we have developed a genome-scale metabolic model that, together with a flux balance analysis, is able to quantify fluxes through carbon and nitrogen metabolism of yeast in batch culture. Taken together, this work has allowed us to identify metabolic and/or transcriptomic traits relevant to the oenological sector in these species. It also provides new information on the specificities of flux redistribution in the metabolic network of Saccharomyces yeasts according to the species and environmental fluctuations occurring during wine fermentation.