Gas bubble formation in the cytoplasm of a fermenting yeast

Abstract

Current paradigms assume that gas bubbles cannot be formed within yeasts although these workhorses of the baking and brewing industries vigorously produce and release CO(2) gas. We show that yeasts produce gas bubbles that fill a significant part of the cell. The missing link between intracellular CO(2) production by glycolysis and eventual CO(2) release from cells has therefore been resolved. Yeasts may serve as model to study CO(2) behavior under pressurized conditions that may impact on fermentation biotechnology.