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O2 consumption and CO2 production of free and immobilized Saccharomyces uvarum in the presence of ethanol were compared. The protective effect of immobilization on the yeast ethanol tolerance at 5–20% of ethanol was more evident in CO2 production than in O2 consumption. CO2 production by the yeast immobilized in calcium alginate and calcium pectate gel beads was approximately 2.5-times higher than by the free yeast at 5 and 10% of ethanol. 4-Fold increase of CO2 production was observed at 15% ethanol. Immobilization in calcium-containing carriers (alginate, pectate) resulted in enhanced activities of yeasts compared to the κ-carrageenan carrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approaches using immobilized biological materials are very promising for application in different branches of the food industry, especially in the production of fermented beverages. Materials tested by our team for the process of entrapment belong to the family of charged polysaccharides able to form beaded hydrogels by ionotropic gelation (e.g. alginate, pectate, kappa-carrageenan) and synthetic polymers (e.g. polyvinyl alcohol) forming bead- and lens-shaped hydrogels by thermal sol/gel transition. Concentration of a gel, conditions and instrumentation of gelation process, bead and size distribution, porosity, diffusion properties, mechanical, storage and operational stability, and many other parameters were followed and optimized. Our work has been oriented especially to practical applications of immobilized cells. Brewing yeast cells were successfully immobilized by entrapment materials and used in a process of batch and continual production of beer, including primary and secondary fermentation of wort. Other applications include continual production of ethanol by fermentation of different saccharide substrates (molasses, glucose syrup, wheat hydrolysate), mead and non-alcoholic beverages production.

Production of non-alcoholic beer using Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been studied. Non-recombinant mutant strains with a defect in the synthesis of tricarboxylic-acid-cycle enzymes were used and applied in both free and pectate-immobilized form, using both batch and packed-bed continuous systems. After fermentation, basic parameters of the beer produced by five mutant strains were compared with a standard strain of brewing yeast. Results showed that the beer prepared by mutant yeast cells was characterized by lower levels of total alcohols, with ethanol concentrations between 0.07 and 0.31% (w/w). The organic acids produced, especially lactic acid, in concentrations up to 1.38 g x l(-1) had a strong protective effect on the microbial stability of the final product and thus the usual addition of lactic acid could be omitted. Application of the yeast mutants appears to be a good alternative to the classical methods for the production of non-alcoholic beer.