​​Brewing Fundamentals, Part 2: Fundamentals of Yeast Nutrition

MBAA TQ http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/TQ-53-1-0302-03 | VIEW ARTICLE
 
Dawn L. Maskell. International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD), Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH14 4AS.
 
Abstract
Brewer’s wort is a complex medium produced from a cereal extract and fermented by yeast to produce beer. Brewer’s yeast, usually either Saccharomyces cerevisiae or S. pastorianus, requires carbohydrates, sources of nitrogen, oxygen, ions, and vitamins to enable this transformation to occur. A well-aerated (oxygenated) all-malt wort should provide sufficiently for all these needs, allowing for some yeast growth and ultimately for fermentation with the production of ethanol, carbon dioxide, and metabolic by-products that contribute the desired flavor characteristics to the final beer. A deficiency in of any of these nutritional resources will have an impact on brewery efficiency, often associated with a “stuck” or “hung” fermentation. This review aims to provide brewers, and students of brewing, with an overview of the roles that these wort nutrients play in fermentation.

Keywords: Yeast, Fermentation, Nutrition, Metabolism, Wort