Microbial interactions in alcoholic beverages

International Microbiology - This review examines the different types of interactions between the microorganisms involved in the fermentation processes of alcoholic beverages produced all over the...     

Glass shape influences consumption rate for alcoholic beverages

Background

High levels of alcohol consumption and increases in heavy episodic drinking (binge drinking) are a growing public concern, due to their association with increased risk of personal and societal harm. Alcohol consumption has been shown to be sensitive to factors such as price and availability. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of glass shape on the rate of consumption of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Methods

This was an experimental design with beverage (lager, soft drink), glass (straight, curved) and quantity (6 fl oz, 12 fl oz) as between-subjects factors. Social male and female alcohol consumers (n = 159) attended two experimental sessions, and were randomised to drink either lager or a soft drink from either a curved or straight-sided glass, and complete a computerised task identifying perceived midpoint of the two glasses (order counterbalanced). Ethical approval was granted by the Faculty of Science Research Ethics Committee at the University of Bristol. The primary outcome measures were total drinking time of an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage, and perceptual judgement of the half-way point of a straight and curved glass.

Results

Participants were 60% slower to consume an alcoholic beverage from a straight glass compared to a curved glass. This effect was only observed for a full glass and not a half-full glass, and was not observed for a non-alcoholic beverage. Participants also misjudged the half-way point of a curved glass to a greater degree than that of a straight glass, and there was a trend towards a positive association between the degree of error and total drinking time.

Conclusions

Glass shape appears to influence the rate of drinking of alcoholic beverages. This may represent a modifiable target for public health interventions.     

Sensorimotor and physiological effects of various alcoholic beverages.

Effects of a standard dose of alcohol (1.3 g/kg) in the form of Canadian rye whisky, Canadian beer and a sparkling table wine were compared with those of a nonalcoholic carbonated control beverage. Sixteen young male and eight female subjects, all moderate drinkers, were tested in a Latin square design. Measurements were made on the pursuit rotor and quantitative Romberg tests, and of skin temperature, heart rate, malar flush and blood alcohol concentration during the prealcohol baseline period and at regular intervals over the 4-hour drinking period. The three alcoholic beverages produced blood alcohol curves that did not differ significantly. All three alcoholic beverages produced increasing sensorimotor impairment over time, which corresponded in degree to the increasing blood alcohol concentration. There were no significant differences between the three beverages on either the sensorimotor or physiological measures at any blood alcohol value. The results of this study indicate that the degree of impairment after alcohol ingestion in a socially relevant manner is not dependent on the type of beverage consumed, but only on the resulting blood alcohol concentration.     

Polyphenols in alcoholic beverages activating constitutive androstane receptor CAR

The constitutive androstane receptor CAR is a xenosensing nuclear receptor that can be activated by natural polyphenols such as flavonoids and catechins. We examined alcoholic beverage phytochemicals for their ability to activate CAR. HepG2 cells were transfected with CAR expression vector and its reporter gene, and then treated with trans-resveratrol, ellagic acid, β-caryophyllene, myrcene, and xanthohumol. A luciferase assay revealed that ellagic acid and trans-resveratrol activated both human and mouse CAR. Since CAR regulates many genes involved in energy metabolism, the possibility exists that these polyphenols would reduce the risk of certain alcohol-induced metabolic disorders with the help of CAR.     

A biocatalyst for the removal of sulfite from alcoholic beverages

The presence of sulfites in alcoholic beverages, particularly in wines, can cause allergic responses with symptoms ranging from mild gastrointestinal problems to life threatening anaphylactic shock in a substantial portion of the population. We have developed a simple and inexpensive biocatalytic method that employs wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum) chloroplasts for the efficient oxidation of sulfites in wines to innocuous sulfates. A sufficiently high rate of sulfite oxidation was obtained in the presence of ethanol at concentrations commonly found in most wines. Crude chloroplast preparations at a concentration as low as 5 mg/mL were capable of reducing sulfite in commercial white wines from 150 ppm to under 7.5 ppm within 3 hours. A 93% removal of sulfite in commercial red wines was observed with 1 mg/mL chloroplasts within 45 min. Optimal sulfite removal efficiency was observed at pH 8.5 and was promoted by illumination, indicating the participation of light-induced photosynthetic electron transport processes in sulfite oxidation. Overall, this work indicates that biocatalytic oxidation using wheatgrass chloroplasts can be employed to remove sulfites from beverages prior to consumption.     

Studies on production of alcoholic beverages from some tropical fruits

The varieties of alcoholic beverages from watermelon; watermelon-banana and watermelon-pineapple mixtures were produced by using monoculture and mixed culture fermentation techniques. Three yeast species, namely, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Kleochera apicalata, Torulospora delbruckii and four bacterial species Leuconostoc oenos, Lactobacillus Sp, Micrococcus luteus and Streptococcus lactis were identified during the study. The daily succession of these organisms in the various fermenting samples differed in cell mass and occurrence due to their different growth conditions and factors present. A higher bacterial load (3.9 ± 0.2-4.4 ± 0.3) log (cfu) ml^?1 than yeast (2.8 ± 00-4.6 ± 0.4) log (cfu) ml^?1 counts was observed in the mixed culture fermentation, while in the monoculture fermentation, a higher yeast load (4.3 ± 0.3-4.7 ± 0.2) log (cfu) ml^?1 than bacterial loads (2.7 ± 0.1-4.1 ± 0.3) log (cfu) ml^?1 counts was recovered. The results obtained from the present study indicated that monoculture-fermented beverages were of better quality as compared to the mixed culture fermented ones. The monoculture-fermented beverage from watermelon-pineapple mixture was ranked as the best alcoholic beverage based on sensory evaluation score.     

Mitigating health risks associated with alcoholic beverages through metabolic engineering

1. Download : Download high-res image (129KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Impacts of antemortem ingestion of alcoholic beverages on insect successional patterns

This paper studies the impacts of antemortem ingestion of alcoholic beverages by the domestic rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus L., on postmortem successional patterns of insects during winter and summer 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Insect samples were collected from the carcasses of rabbits fed alcoholic beverages as well as untreated rabbits for 15 days postmortem during two successional studies in each season. The results showed that, during both seasons, the decomposition process for the carcasses of rabbits fed alcoholic beverages antemortem was one to two days longer. The results also showed, however, that alcoholic beverages did not affect insect succession patterns in either season. In fact, the number of insects appeared to be influenced by the ambient temperature during the two seasons, with 4415 insects in the winter compared to 1033 insects in the summer. In total, 30 insect taxa were collected during the winter study from the carcasses of rabbits fed alcoholic beverages antemortem; while 26 of these same taxa were collected from the carcasses of the untreated rabbits. Among the treated rabbits, those fed 25 ml alcoholic beverages treated attracted the highest number of insect taxa (24 taxa). In the summer study, 21 insect taxa were collected in total, 19 from the carcasses of the alcohol-treated rabbits and 13 from untreated rabbits. Among the treated rabbits, those fed 50 ml alcoholic beverages attracted the highest number of insect taxa (14 taxa). These results contribute to the understanding of the factors affecting the use of insects in medical investigations, given that alcoholic beverages are a common addictive agent.     

Discovery of alcohol dehydrogenase from mushrooms and application to alcoholic beverages

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the main microorganism used in alcoholic beverage brewing, because this microbe has alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity. We have recently discovered that some genera of mushrooms produce alcohol dehydrogenase, and made wine, beer and sake using mushrooms in place of S. cerevisiae. The highest alcohol concentrations in the wine, beer and sake were achieved with Pleurotus ostreatus (2648 mM, 12.2%), Tricholoma matsutake (1069 mM, 4.6%) and Agaricus blazei (1736 mM, 8.0%). In the case of wine made using A. blazei, the same alcohol concentration (1736 mM, 8.0%) was produced under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This wine produced by A. blazei contained about 0.68% β- -glucan, which is known to have preventive effects against cancer. The wine made using Flammulina velutipes showed thrombosis-preventing activity, giving a prolonged thrombin clotting time 2.2-fold that of the control. Thus, alcoholic beverages made using mushrooms seem to be a functional food source which can be expected to have preventive effects against cancer and thrombosis.     

Contribution of different natural yeasts to the aroma of two alcoholic beverages

The aroma formation in the fermentation of two types of natural musts by 12 different yeasts has been analysed. In grape must fermentation Pichia fermentans Colección Española de Cultivos Tipo (CECT) 11773, Clavispora lusitaniae OJ6 and Pichia anomala OJ5 produced the best balance between concentrations of ethyl acetate and high alcohols. When orange juice was fermented with the 12 yeasts, Pichia fermentans CECT 11773, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa OJ2 and Hanseniaspora uvarum CECT 10885 produced a good beverage with low alcoholic grade. For both types of natural musts Pichia fermentans CECT 11773 increased the presence of higher alcohols and ethyl acetate. After using this strain both alcoholic beverages obtained the highest evaluation in the sensory analysis.     

Yeasts associated with the production of Mexican alcoholic nondistilled and distilled Agave beverages

The great variety of agaves and their multiple uses have played an important role in the cultural identification of Mexico. They have been exploited in many ways for over 10,000 years, and one of these applications is the production of alcoholic nondistilled and distilled beverages. Most of the production processes of these Mexican beverages involve a complex fermentation in which bacteria (mainly lactic and acetic acid) and yeasts (non-Saccharomyces and Saccharomyces) are present in stable mixed populations, or succeeding one another, and have a significant impact on the sensorial characteristics and nutritive value of the final product. This minireview focuses on several nondistilled and distilled Agave beverages, their production area, the Agave species used in their elaboration, the functional microbiota involved in the fermentation process, their fermentation products (when known), the biochemical changes of these unique fermentations, and their impact on the quality and sensorial characteristics of the product.     

Impact of swallowing on the dynamics of aroma release and perception during the consumption of alcoholic beverages

The consumption protocol used during alcoholic beverage tasting may affect aroma perception. We used an integrated approach combining sensory analysis and physicochemistry to investigate the impact of swallowing on aroma release and perception. A panel of 10 persons evaluated the dynamics of aroma perception during the consumption of a commercial flavored vodka, using the method of temporal dominance of sensations. Two protocols (spitting out or swallowing of the product) were tested. Nosespace analysis was simultaneously carried out by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry to evaluate aroma release in the nasal cavity. Comparison of the results obtained with the 2 protocols highlighted significant differences in both the perception and the release of aroma: the swallowing of the product resulted in more complex perceptions but decreased the dominance rates of aromatic attributes. Ethanol perception also had an impact when the product was swallowed. Aroma release data partly accounted for the differences in perception, particularly as concerned ethanol release. The time at which dominance appears as well as the dominance duration of some attributes can be related to some temporal parameters of release data. But the lack of knowledge concerning the variety and complexity of mechanisms continues to limit our understanding of relationship between aroma release and perception.     

Development of a carbon nanotube paste electrode osmium polymer-mediated biosensor for determination of glucose in alcoholic beverages

This paper describes a new amperometric biosensor for glucose monitoring. The biosensor is based on the activity of glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) and diaphorase (DI) co-immobilized with NAD(+) into a carbon nanotube paste (CNTP) electrode modified with an osmium functionalized polymer. This mediator was demonstrated to shuttle the electron transfer between the immobilized diaphorase and the CNTP electrode, thus, showing a good electrocatalytic activity towards NADH oxidation at potentials around +0.2V versus Ag|AgCl, where interfering reactions are less prone to occur. The biosensor exhibits a detection limit of 10 micromol L(-1), linearity up to 8 x 10(-4) mol L(-1), a sensitivity of 13.4 microA cm(-2)mmol(-1)L(-1), a good reproducibility (R.S.D. 2.1%, n=6) and a stability of about 1 week when stored dry at 4 degrees C. Finally, the proposed biosensor was applied for the determination of glucose in different samples of sweet wine and validated with a commercial spectrophotometric enzymatic kit.