title: Involvement of branched-chain amino acid aminotransferases in the production of fusel alcohols during fermentation in yeast.
abstract: Organoleptic compounds produced by yeast during the fermentation of wort have a great impact on beer smell and taste. Among them, fusel alcohols are the major abundant volatile compounds. The availability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants in which the genes coding for the two branched-chain amino acid aminotransferases have been deleted offers the possibility of further defining the role of these enzymes in the formation of higher alcohols. Comparing the production profiles of different strains, it is clear that they are not all influenced in the same way by branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase mutations. First of all, as propanol is synthesised from alpha-ketobutyrate, the first metabolic intermediate in the anabolic pathway of isoleucine, neither the eca39 nor eca40 mutations have any effect on the production of this higher alcohol. On the other hand, it can be concluded that the eca40 mutation has a drastic effect on the production of isobutanol. To a certain extent, the same conclusion can be made for the production of active amyl alcohol and isoamyl alcohol, although the results suggest that another route could lead to the formation of these two higher alcohols.
authors.affiliation: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute of Life Sciences, Department of Genetics, Givat-Ram, Israel.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eden
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Nedervelde
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drukker
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Benvenisty
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Debourg
mesh_terms: D000433:1-Propanol / Q000378:metabolism; D050539:3-Isopropylmalate Dehydrogenase; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics; D000438:Alcohols / Q000378:metabolism*; D000440:Butanols / Q000378:metabolism; D005285:Fermentation; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D009154:Mutation; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D000637:Transaminases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D000440:Butanols; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C040507:isobutyl alcohol; D000433:1-Propanol; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases; D050539:3-Isopropylmalate Dehydrogenase; D000637:Transaminases; C101168:BAT1 protein, S cerevisiae; C101127:BAT2 protein, S cerevisiae; C019798:branched-chain-amino-acid transaminase