The effect of sake yeast specific genes on properties of sake

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K05800
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 38020:Applied microbiology-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Agriculture
• Principal Investigator: Nakayama Shunichi 東京農業大学, 応用生物科学部, 准教授 (90508243)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 清酒酵母 / 清酒醸造 / 醸造特性 / 遺伝子破壊株

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The yeast used for sake brewing is called sake yeast. Sake yeasts are clearly distinguishable from other brewing yeast such as wine yeast based on the genomic and metabolites levels but the causative genes that make the difference in brewing characteristics is unclear. In this study, we disrupted genes characteristics for sake yeast and sake was brewed by using the disruptants. We demonstrated that the gene uniquely possessed in sake yeast and biotin biosynthetic ability of sake yeast plays an important role in sake quality.

Free Research Field

応用微生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

清酒酵母はワイン酵母と同様にSaccharomyces cerevisiaeに属しゲノムレベルで極めて類似するものの、清酒酵母によって清酒を醸造するとワイン酵母など他の醸造酵母と異なり優れた呈味や香気を与える原因遺伝子については不明であった。本研究で得られた知見は、清酒醸造に適した酵母への育種やスクリーニングに応用されることが期待される。