History and Domestication of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in Bread Baking

Abstract

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been instrumental in the fermentation of foods and beverages for millennia. In addition to fermentations like wine, beer, cider, sake, and bread, S. cerevisiae has been isolated from environments ranging from soil and trees, to human clinical isolates. Each of these environments has unique selection pressures that S. cerevisiae must adapt to. Bread dough, for example, requires S. cerevisiae to efficiently utilize the complex sugar maltose; tolerate osmotic stress due to the semi-solid state of dough, high salt, and high sugar content of some doughs; withstand various processing conditions, including freezing and drying; and produce desirable aromas and flavors. In this review, we explore the history of bread that gave rise to modern commercial baking yeast, and the genetic and genomic changes that accompanied this. We illustrate the genetic and phenotypic variation that has been documented in baking strains and wild strains, and how this variation might be used for baking strain improvement. While we continue to improve our understanding of how baking strains have adapted to bread dough, we conclude by highlighting some of the remaining open questions in the field.

Sugar‐seeking insects as a source of diverse bread‐making yeasts with enhanced attributes

“…Strains involved in leavening bread must be able to replicate and produce gas (e.g., CO 2 ) using maltose as a substrate, as it is one of the most abundant sugars found in many bread doughs (Bailey, 1935). The ability to ferment maltose differs among strains, species, and genera of yeasts (Bell et al, 2001; Bigey et al, 2021; Houghton‐Larsen & Brandt, 2006; Lahue et al, 2020; Naumova et al, 2013). Some commercial baking strains have a faster maltose fermentation rate than do non‐bakery strains (Bell et al, 2001), with recent evidence suggesting that this may be in part due to the increased copy number of maltase and isomaltase genes due to selection imposed by bakers on certain strains (Bigey et al, 2021).…”

Reduction of the Fusarium Mycotoxins: Deoxynivalenol, Nivalenol and Zearalenone by Selected Non-Conventional Yeast Strains in Wheat Grains and Bread

“…In practice, relatively little attention is paid to the use of non-conventional yeast strains to ferment bread dough. The food industry mainly makes use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae , which has a high fermentation efficiency and affects the sensory properties of the product by producing the desired flavors [ 32 , 33 ]. In addition to the appropriate technological features, S. cerevisiae yeast has antagonistic properties against pathogenic bacteria and fungi [ 34 ] and the ability to reduce the content of toxins [ 35 , 36 , 37 ].…”

Microbial Consortia Involved in Traditional Sicilian Sourdough: Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Yeast Populations

“…In particular, strains ascribed to the S. cerevisiae species are frequently isolated in sourdoughs from central and southern Italy [10,21,23]. S. cerevisiae is the yeast most frequently present in fermented sourdough, as it is able to produce a significant amount of ethanol in sourdoughs by consuming both maltose and glucose [74]. It was interesting to point out that L. brevis was recovered with a high percentage of isolation in samples dominated by S. cerevisiae.…”