Function of the High Concentration Alcohol-producing Factor

By use of the chemically defined synthetic medium, the formation of high concentration of alcohol, reaching 20–21 percent, was accomplished by Saccharomyces sake, at 20°C within 20 days, under a gradual addition of sucrose. Unsaturated fatty acid-containing phospholipid- macromolecule (albumin or methylcellulose) complex was the essential structure for the high concentration alcohol-producing factor. Unsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic acid, incorporated to the yeast cells grown anaerobically in the statical fermentation test from the koji mold phosphatidylcholine-methylcellulose complex. These data show that the formation of a high concentration of alcohol in sake mash is related to the lipid metabolism of the yeasts.