Influence of fermentation conditions on specific activity of the enzymes alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase from yeasts.

The effects of anaerobic, semi-aerobic and short aeration fermentation conditions and the addition of ergosterol and oleic acid to musts on the specific activity of alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ADH and ALDH) from two yeast species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Torulaspora delbrueckii, were studied. ADH I biosynthesis only occurred during the first few hours of fermentation. ADH II from S. cerevisiae and ALDH-NADP+ from the two yeast species behaved as constitutive enzymes under all fermentation conditions. ADH II from T. delbrueckii was only synthesized in small amounts, and its activity was always lower than in S. cerevisiae, where it was responsible for the termination of alcoholic fermentation during the steady growth phase.