Exploratory study on the occurrence and dynamics of yeast-mediated nicotinamide riboside production in craft beers

Abstract

Several health benefits are related to the administration of nicotinamide riboside (NR), a form of Vitamin B3, and its precursors nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and NAD + . Therefore, considerable interest is currently devoted to the potential therapeutic value of their supplementation, thus justifying scientific studies on the distribution of these molecules in foods and beverages. In this study, the three vitamers were quantitatively analyzed in ten craft beers for the first time. All beers from different commercial S. cerevisiae strains contained NAD + . NR, NMN and NAD + were mostly present in beers produced with Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain US-05. Interestingly, the three vitamers were not detectable in beers produced with a commercial strain of Saccharomyces pastorianus. Data from laboratory-scale beer production using S. cerevisiae strain US-05 showed that the addition of hops during the fermentation process significantly increased NR production. The rapid increase in NR formation only occurred if both hops and yeast were present, and the burst was also confirmed in fermentations trials performed with S. cerevisiae strain CBS1171 T and by replacing wort with YPD medium. The experimental model proposed in the present study can serve as baseline for further research aimed at investigating the yeast-hop interaction at metabolic and molecular levels.In addition to highlighting the potentialities of microorganisms to act as biological factories for beneficial molecules to humans, these findings open new intriguing perspectives for the development of innovative fermented foods naturally enriched in NR and its precursors.

NAD+ Precursors Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) and Nicotinamide Riboside (NR): Potential Dietary Contribution to Health

“…Among the investigated sources, the highest amount was found in edamame ranging at 0.47–1.88 (mg/100 g) and avocado at 0.36–1.60 (mg/100 g), and at smaller amounts in seafood and raw meats (0.06–0.42 mg/100 g) [ 1 ••]. Additionally, NR and NMN were also determined in different species of milk and beer [ 42 , 77 •]. Since NR was first discovered in milk [ 55 ] it had only been measured in milk so far, with bovine milk having the highest NR content (0.5–3.6 μM,) and human milk as the richest NMN source (2.1–9.8 μM) [ 42 ].…”

“…Recently, yeast-mediated NR and NMN production in craft beers was demonstrated, and hop indicated a role in the enhancement of NR levels during fermentation [ 77 •]; thus, opens new perspectives for enriched sources of NAD+ precursors through fermented foods and beverages. This would bring new possibilities alongside the potential biotechnological use of microbial species (e.g., fructophilic lactic acid bacteria) to produce NMN and NR [ 78 ] for functional probiotic products and supplements.…”