Yeasts play a key role in the production of many foods and beverages. This role now extends beyond their widely recognized contributions to the production of alcoholic beverages and bread to include the production of many food ingredients and additives, novel uses as probiotic and biocontrol agents, their significant role as spoilage organisms, and their potential impact on food safety. Drawing upon the expertise of leading yeast researchers, this book provides a comprehensive account of the ecology, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and genomics of the diverse range of yeast species associated with the production of foods and beverages.

Autorentext

Amparo Querol is a Research scientist in the Food Biotechnology Department of the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (Spanish Council for Scientific Research) and Assistant Professor Food Science and Technologiy at the University of Valencia, Spain. Her research interests include food biotechnology, genomics, systematics, phylogeny and molecular evolution of industrial yeasts.

Graham Fleet is a Professor within the Food Science and Technology Unit, at the University of New South Wales. He has been active as a teacher and researcher in the fields of food microbiology, food biotechnology and yeast technology since 1975 and has authored numerous publications, reviews and books on the occurrence and significance of yeasts in food and beverage production.

Zusammenfassung
As a group of microorganisms, yeasts have an enormous impact on food and bev- age production. Scientific and technological understanding of their roles in this p- duction began to emerge in the mid-1800s, starting with the pioneering studies of Pasteur in France and Hansen in Denmark on the microbiology of beer and wine fermentations. Since that time, researchers throughout the world have been engaged in a fascinating journey of discovery and development learning about the great diversity of food and beverage commodities that are produced or impacted by yeast activity, about the diversity of yeast species associated with these activities, and about the diversity of biochemical, physiological and molecular mechanisms that underpin the many roles of yeasts in food and beverage production. Many excellent books have now been published on yeasts in food and beverage production, and it is reasonable to ask the question why another book? There are two different approaches to describe and understand the role of yeasts in food and beverage production. One approach is to focus on the commodity and the technology of its processing (e. g. wine fermentation, fermentation of bakery products), and this is the direction that most books on food and beverage yeasts have taken, to date. A second approach is to focus on the yeasts, themselves, and their bi- ogy in the context of food and beverage habitats.

Inhalt
The Commercial and Community Significance of Yeasts in Food and Beverage Production.- Taxonomic and Ecological Diversity of Food and Beverage Yeasts.- Molecular Methods to Identify and Characterize Yeasts in Foods and Beverages.- Yeast Ecological Interactions. Yeast'Yeast, Yeast'Bacteria, Yeast'Fungi Interactions and Yeasts as Biocontrol Agents.- Physiological and Molecular Responses of Yeasts to the Environment.- Molecular Mechanisms Involved in the Adaptive Evolution of Industrial Yeasts.- Principles and Applications of Genomics and Proteomics in the Analysis of Industrial Yeast Strains.- Carbohydrate Metabolism.- Yeasts as Biocatalysts.- Production of Antioxidants, Aromas, Colours, Flavours, and Vitamins by Yeasts.- Food and Beverage Spoilage Yeasts.- The Public Health and Probiotic Significance of Yeasts in Foods and Beverages.- The Development of Superior Yeast Strains for the Food and Beverage Industries: Challenges, Opportunities and Potential Benefits.