Novel Saccharomyces cerevisiae variants slow down the accumulation of staling aldehydes and improve beer shelf-life

Abstract

Beer quality generally diminishes over time as staling compounds accumulate through various oxidation reactions. Here, we show that refermentation, a traditional practice where Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells are added to beer prior to bottling, diminishes the accumulation of staling aldehydes. However, commonly used beer yeasts only show a limited lifespan in beer. Using high-throughput screening and breeding, we were able to generate novel S. cerevisiae hybrids that survive for over a year in beer. Extensive chemical and sensory analyses of the two most promising hybrids showed that they slow down the accumulation of staling aldehydes, such as furfural and trans-2-nonenal and significantly increased beer flavor stability for up to 12 months. Moreover, the strains did not change the original flavor of the beer, highlighting their potential to be integrated in existing products. Together, these results demonstrate the ability to breed novel microbes that function as natural and sustainable anti-oxidative food preservatives.

Keywords: Aldehydes; Beer aging; Flavor stability; Longevity; Refermentation; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Sulfite.