Exact causes of yeast stress.

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GodsStepBrother

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I am trying to understand what exaclty brewers mean when they say yeast is stressed out. What causes them to be stressed out, and how is it that this happens. In brewing Science and Practice I have found some pretty interesting references and wanted to run them by some more experienced members.

The author begins to describe earlier in the book , that to much budding of yeast cells produces a lot of scar tissue on the cell wall of the yeast. This according to him leads an unhealthy cell, and leading to more mutations etc… He makes it explicate that, “buds may arise from any point on the cell wall. Nevertheless, buds do not arise more than once at the same location.” Meaning to much multiplication leads to a lot of what he call fissures, or ring structure containing filaments termed septins. Now I am not to certain what septins are and do not care much. He correlates it to scar tissue, in the remainder of the chapter.

He never mentions why it is scar tissue is to bad for the yeast (beyond the fact that it can lead to mutation and such), could it also be that a yeast cell cannot eat from the point of budding and if it buds enough then it will lead to a malnourished cell?

My other question is regarding Vacuoles. These he describes as intercellular membrane systems. He states, “Vacuoles serve as temporary metabolite stores and provide the cell with a mechanism for controlling the concentration of metabolites in other cellular compartments”. So am if I am reading right, he means these are almost storage compartments to hold metabolites, in other words food correct? He mentions this about Vacuoles,

“ Their size and number fluctuates with physiological condition and stage in the cell cycle. When cells are growing in a balanced medium, as is the case during active primary fermentation, they may not be visible. Extensive vacuolation is associated with stress in yeast, especially starvation. Commonly large vacuoles become apparent in late fermentation or in stored pitching yeast.”

Now what I find odd about this last statement is he says that “extensive vacuolation is associated with stress in yeast,” but only later puts an emphasis on starvation as one of the factors. He never defines what he means by stress and its factors, only starvation as the leading one. Now budding and reproducing takes a lot of energy and he admits that yeast will not do it, until it senses enough food around. He gives a time line of each phase the cell goes through. I added it up and it roughly takes about 125 minutes (about two hours) for the splitting of a cell to occur. In which the offspring cell is smaller than the mom, and must wait some more time to grow and do what yeast do.

All of this to leads to a couple of simple questions.
1. If a beer is under pitched does that mean that the constant budding from mother cells creates to much scar tissue leading to malnourished mothers and making half of the yeast population unhealthy as well as mutated offspring?
2. Even though the mother is in a nutrient rich fluid, it reproduces to much that it looses some ability to eat, leading to the formation of vacuoles that it cannot fill with “metabolites”?
3. When he mentions yeast growing in a balanced median does he mean a good yeast cell ratio to available food, in other words a good pitching rate?

Sorry for writing a book just trying to understand what leads to poor yeast health. :mug:
 
He gives a time line of each phase the cell goes through. I added it up and it roughly takes about 125 minutes (about two hours) for the splitting of a cell to occur.

Actually, it's less time than that. The yeast cells start to "clone" themselves after about 25 minutes and usually complete this stage within 95 minutes. They typically seperate when the daughter cell is the same size as the mother, but both mother and daughter can initiate this seperation earlier.

1. If a beer is under pitched does that mean that the constant budding from mother cells creates to much scar tissue leading to malnourished mothers and making half of the yeast population unhealthy as well as mutated offspring?
2. Even though the mother is in a nutrient rich fluid, it reproduces to much that it looses some ability to eat, leading to the formation of vacuoles that it cannot fill with “metabolites”?
3. When he mentions yeast growing in a balanced median does he mean a good yeast cell ratio to available food, in other words a good pitching rate?

Sorry for writing a book just trying to understand what leads to poor yeast health. :mug:

1. Sort of. At any given time throughout fermentation, the yeast population contains about 50% virgins (un-budded cells), 25% single-budded mothers, and 25% multi-budded mothers. Each scar on a cell thickens the cell wall, causing problems with metabolism. The old yeast is less flocculent, doesn't absorb diacetyl as well, they're less efficient at utilizing sugar, and they have poor stress tolerance. This doesn't mean they ARE stressed...just that they have a low tolerance to stress. Because of this, you want to insure a rapid and efficienct fermentation with MINIMAL yeast growth. This is done by addition just the right amount of yeast and the right amount of oxygen (but not over-aerating). This stress can come from a few difference things. Mainly temperature, ethanol, and pressure.

2. I'm no expert on yeast, but from what I understood in my brewing classes... vacuoles are like warehouses for food. It stores fatty acids, minerals, and it's where different components of the yeast cells are processed. It also stores a secretion of biproducts which aren't used by the yeast cell anymore. When the yeast runs out of sugar or other food sources in the beer, it turns to the vacuoles for food. It basically starts eating itself. This is where yeast autolization comes from.

3. Exactly. When the yeast are first pitched, they go into asexual respiration mode. This is where they devour any and all oxygen which helps them produce energy and rapidly reproduce. After all the oxygen is depleted, they go into asexual reproduction, where they convert sugars to alcohol. So, a balance would be when they have a proper oxygen/yeast ratio, and also a good yeast/sugar ratio.

I hope this at least somewhat answers your questions. I probably didn't hit every point you asked about...so if I missed something, let me know. I'll do my best to help. All you really need to know is that if you're buying fresh yeast from the LHBS, it's probably healthy. The only time to worry about these types of things is when you're repitching old yeast, or washing yeast. Pitch the right amount at the right temp while adding enough oxygen prior to pitching...and you're golden.
 
Actually, it's less time than that. The yeast cells start to "clone" themselves after about 25 minutes and usually complete this stage within 95 minutes. They typically seperate when the daughter cell is the same size as the mother, but both mother and daughter can initiate this seperation earlier.

The time line he gives is 125 minutes +/-9 minutes
1st G1 and S together required 54 minutes to complete.
2nd Development of the short bipolar spindle (preanaphase) took a further 16 minutes
3rd capture and sorting of the daughter chromatids and elongation of the spndle to its fullest extent required a further 30 minutes.
4th the final division of the nucleus, migration of daughter nucleus into the bud and cytokinesis took 25 minutes.

This is where the number I got came from.

He also states that there are two different type of yeast cells, and describes how they split. The latter being the one that has a smaller daughter cell, the former being the yeast that split into two equal portions.

"In fission yeast, such as Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the mother cell divides to form two equal sized progeny. In the case of budding yeast such as S. cerevisiae, division is asymmetrical, the daughter cell being smaller than the mother"


1. Sort of. At any given time throughout fermentation, the yeast population contains about 50% virgins (un-budded cells), 25% single-budded mothers, and 25% multi-budded mothers. Each scar on a cell thickens the cell wall, causing problems with metabolism. The old yeast is less flocculent, doesn't absorb diacetyl as well, they're less efficient at utilizing sugar, and they have poor stress tolerance. This doesn't mean they ARE stressed...just that they have a low tolerance to stress. Because of this, you want to insure a rapid and efficienct fermentation with MINIMAL yeast growth. This is done by addition just the right amount of yeast and the right amount of oxygen (but not over-aerating). This stress can come from a few difference things. Mainly temperature, ethanol, and pressure.

Very well put, those are some interesting stats! 50% virgins, I am sure those will be the washable ones after fermentation right?

. 2. I'm no expert on yeast, but from what I understood in my brewing classes... vacuoles are like warehouses for food. It stores fatty acids, minerals, and it's where different components of the yeast cells are processed. It also stores a secretion of biproducts which aren't used by the yeast cell anymore. When the yeast runs out of sugar or other food sources in the beer, it turns to the vacuoles for food. It basically starts eating itself. This is where yeast autolization comes from.

Awesome did not know that either.

Thanks a lot for the response, by the way what class are you taking?
 
The time line he gives is 125 minutes +/-9 minutes
1st G1 and S together required 54 minutes to complete.
2nd Development of the short bipolar spindle (preanaphase) took a further 16 minutes
3rd capture and sorting of the daughter chromatids and elongation of the spndle to its fullest extent required a further 30 minutes.
4th the final division of the nucleus, migration of daughter nucleus into the bud and cytokinesis took 25 minutes.

This is where the number I got came from.

He also states that there are two different type of yeast cells, and describes how they split. The latter being the one that has a smaller daughter cell, the former being the yeast that split into two equal portions.

"In fission yeast, such as Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the mother cell divides to form two equal sized progeny. In the case of budding yeast such as S. cerevisiae, division is asymmetrical, the daughter cell being smaller than the mother"

This guy obviously knows his yeast a little better than I do. I've never been overly interested in the science aspect of brewing. It's nice to know what's going on...but I can make good beer without it.

There are actually two different types of reproduction too, if you want to dig further into it. Asexual (vegetative) reproduction is the type you're referring to (budding). Sexual (meiosis) reproduction involves the formation of ascospores. These ascospores will eventually form into budding cells. The fusion of these ascospores leads to a recombination of DNA. Each yeast cell can form 1-4 ascospores. This type of reproduction isn't very common, and is usually associated with unpleasant yeast conditions.

Very well put, those are some interesting stats! 50% virgins, I am sure those will be the washable ones after fermentation right?

Un-budded virgins are poor fermentors. You'd want to get rid of those when washing. Ideally, we like to have a mix between mixed aged cells and young fractions.

Awesome did not know that either.

Thanks a lot for the response, by the way what class are you taking?

I'm attending Siebel currently. I wanted to get a solid base of some of the more complicated aspects of brewing before my boss opens his brewery in January. I guess he's putting me in charge of recipe design and research. I'll be doing test batches, and if they sell well, we'll bump them up to full production runs.
 
Yeast get all of their nutrition by absorbing it from the "media". Anything that messes up membrane transport, like a scarred up cell wall, will reduce the efficiency of food uptake.

I don't think that vacuoles really store any "food". Some nutrients maybe (ie amino acids), but they have a lot of regulatory functions, things like pH, osmotic pressure, etc. They also store a lot of toxic cellular waste products. They sort of act like a cell buffer, keeping conditions in the cytoplasm in as optimum a state as possible. If the cytoplasm needs more or less of something, like say calcium, it moves it in or out of the vacuole as needed. The concentration of many molecules in the cytoplasm is highly regulated and changes in many of them generate signals that tell the cell it needs to do something. So excess material is stored in the vacuole where it is separated from really active process.

By analogy, the cytoplasm is the playing field, and the vacuole is the bench, to be called upon as needed. Then I guess the vacuole membrane would be the coach, choosing who to pull or send in. The cytoplasm, and other organelles, are where most of the "action" are taking place.
 
Yeast get all of their nutrition by absorbing it from the "media". Anything that messes up membrane transport, like a scarred up cell wall, will reduce the efficiency of food uptake.

I don't think that vacuoles really store any "food". Some nutrients maybe (ie amino acids), but they have a lot of regulatory functions, things like pH, osmotic pressure, etc. They also store a lot of toxic cellular waste products. They sort of act like a cell buffer, keeping conditions in the cytoplasm in as optimum a state as possible. If the cytoplasm needs more or less of something, like say calcium, it moves it in or out of the vacuole as needed. The concentration of many molecules in the cytoplasm is highly regulated and changes in many of them generate signals that tell the cell it needs to do something. So excess material is stored in the vacuole where it is separated from really active process.

By analogy, the cytoplasm is the playing field, and the vacuole is the bench, to be called upon as needed. Then I guess the vacuole membrane would be the coach, choosing who to pull or send in. The cytoplasm, and other organelles, are where most of the "action" are taking place.



You mentioned the PH of the cytoplasm, this author mentions it is usually at a steady 5.2. Is that why the PH in finished beer is also something to consider?

Thank you for the help! I was a liberal arts major (philosophy) and reading this kind of text is really challenging for me. This is a tremendous help thanks.
 
This guy obviously knows his yeast a little better than I do. I've never been overly interested in the science aspect of brewing. It's nice to know what's going on...but I can make good beer without it.
I am just very curious as to what is actually going on. I think I analyze everything to much at times, but I am just curious and want to learn everything.

There are actually two different types of reproduction too, if you want to dig further into it. Asexual (vegetative) reproduction is the type you're referring to (budding). Sexual (meiosis) reproduction involves the formation of ascospores. These ascospores will eventually form into budding cells. The fusion of these ascospores leads to a recombination of DNA. Each yeast cell can form 1-4 ascospores. This type of reproduction isn't very common, and is usually associated with unpleasant yeast conditions.

What is another good book (or books) that might explain more on this subject?


Un-budded virgins are poor fermenters. You'd want to get rid of those when washing. Ideally, we like to have a mix between mixed aged cells and young fractions.
I have been lucky enough to brew 10 barrel batches with a brewer I have become aquatinted with. How do you know which yeast you are harvesting at that level? He didn’t wash the yeast he just took some yeast out of the fermenter which is a conical. We transferred it into a clean sanke via pressure. When you brew do you take the time and actually look at cells under the microscope to get an idea of the ratio you are getting? Seems like a hassle!

I'm attending Siebel currently. I wanted to get a solid base of some of the more complicated aspects of brewing before my boss opens his brewery in January. I guess he's putting me in charge of recipe design and research. I'll be doing test batches, and if they sell well, we'll bump them up to full production runs.
Sounds awesome! Hope that goes well for you, I could imagine your excitement for opening day. If I am ever up in your neck of the woods I would love to stop by and try your beer. Thank again for the help! :mug:
 
What is another good book (or books) that might explain more on this subject?

Here's a few good reads... the first one is pretty pricey, but it's got a lot of great info.

Brewing Yeast & Fermentation - Chris Boulton and David Quain, Blackwell Science

Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation

How do you know which yeast you are harvesting at that level? He didn’t wash the yeast he just took some yeast out of the fermenter which is a conical. We transferred it into a clean sanke via pressure. When you brew do you take the time and actually look at cells under the microscope to get an idea of the ratio you are getting?

The nice thing about a conical is that you have all of your yeast formed into layers at the bottom that are easy to dump in order. In the trub, there's three major layers of sediment.

Top yeast - collapsed foam particles and yeast that has settled late.
Core yeast - healthy yeast cells
Bottom yeast - consists of hop resins, trub particles, and unhealthy yeast.

As far as homebrew goes...most of those layers will be perfectly fine. But...in a brewery, we'd look to crop only the middle layer of healthy yeast. This is done by washing the yeast with either water or a diluted acid. Acid is pretty common because there's no worry of contamination, but it also damages the yeast cells and causes stress to the yeast.

I don't personally look at yeast cells, though in a brewery, they may want to after a few batches if they notice any odd behavior from the yeast. Washing tends to get rid of any dead cells and other debris that settles into the trub.
 
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