UTILIZATION BY YEASTS OF THE CARBOHYDRATES OF WORT

Abstract

The utilization of the sugars of wort by various yeasts has been investigated using paper chromatography. In fermentations with brewing yeasts, sugars were found to disappear from the wort in the order:—sucrose, monosaccharides, maltose and maltotriose. Whilst maltotetraose and other more complex carbohydrates were not metabolized to a detectable extent by such yeasts, Saccharomyces diastaticus, Schizosaccharomyces pombé and Brettanomyces bruxellensis vigorously attacked them. With Br. bruxellensis, simpler sugars were still detectable in the medium after maltotriose and maltotetraose had been eliminated. The attack on the dextrins by Sch. pombé resulted in the appearance in the medium of glucose and the biosynthesis of isomaltose and of a sugar believed to be panose. In general, the wild yeasts examined failed to attack the dextrins to a detectable extent.