Weak acid inhibition of fermentation by Zygosaccharomyces bailii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The inhibition kinetics of fermentation by Zygosaccharomyces bailii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were evaluated for weak carboxylic acids. Several regression equations were tried to fit the experimental data, most cases being best fitted to exponential curves. The following parameters were determined: i) acid concentration responsible for 50% inhibition of fermentation (C-50%); ii) area under the regression curve up to that concentration (A(50%)) and iii) exponential inhibition constant (k(i)). These parameters were compared according to their ability to express the inhibitory effect of each acid. In broad terms, the values of k(i) in association with minimum inhibitory concentrations (x(min)), were found best to express the inhibitory effect of the weak acids. However, C-50% values were satisfactorily correlated with k(i). The value of A(50%) more precisely reflected the occasional stimulatory effect of low concentrations of weak acids. Comparison of inhibition parameters for Z. bailii and for S. cerevisiae revealed a higher resistance of the former to acetic, propionic, butyric and benzoic acids and similar resistance to caproic, caprylic and sorbic acids. Previous cultivation in the presence of acetic, propionic and benzoic acids showed a distinct influence on the resistance of both yeasts, although it did not always induce cellular adaptation. Fermentation inhibition showed a good correlation with the lipid solubility of weak acids suggesting that the acids interact with the hydrophobic regions of cell membranes. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.