Studies on flocculation characteristics in industrial yeast strains

Abstract

The ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to adhere to surfaces plays a significant role in defining the growth pattern of different strains under particular environmental conditions.The regulatory network that controls invasive and pseudohyphal growth, as well as biofilm formation, has been extensively studied, but other adhesion-related phenotypes, particularly flocculation, have received less attention. In the biofuels industry, flocculation affects the efficiency of the fermentation process. Yeast strains with high flocculation efficiency can settle out of the fermentation broth more quickly, allowing for easier separation of the yeast from the biofuel product. This can result in higher yields and reduced processing time, leading to more cost-effective biofuel production. By genetically modifying the flocculation efficiency of S. cerevisiae strains, these industries can improve their industrial processes and become more competitive in the market. This modification can lead to increased efficiency, higher yields, reduced processing time, and improved product quality. Therefore, it is of significant interest to these industries to explore and invest in genetic modification of flocculation efficiency in S. cerevisiae strains. In this study we have tried to gain insight into the flocculation phenotype by studying various physiological and performance traits of industrial strains against their flocculant mutants. We employed a genome integrated flo1 DNA cassette without a selectable markers. Our preliminary data suggests that there is little to no change in ethanol making capacity between industrial strains and their flocculant mutants.