Autochthonous yeasts

Another recent growth area has been the selection of autochthonous yeasts, which can promote the regional characteristics of wines in order to overcome the apparent problem of homogenous or industrial wines. A recent focus has been to select yeasts on the basis of several yeast volatile aroma compounds but with improved understanding of the key odorants of wine the focus will move to those grape-derived compounds that drive varietal character, as summarised in Table 8D.1. These strains... 

The available literature clearly shows that fungi are present in even the deepest sediments of the sea, and therefore could potentially be buried with sediments. Little is known about marine filamentous fungi and yeasts, and almost nothing about their life-cycles or metabolism under deep-sea and sub-sea-floor conditions. If they survive burial, they will eventually become part of the sub-sea-floor biosphere. No direct data describe how long fungi can survive in subsurface environments. Data from dried soil specimens indicate that fungi survive fewer than 50-100 years separated from their autochthonous surface environment (Sneath, 1962). However, sub-sea-floor conditions may very well be more favourable for preservation than are soil conditions. 

Biodegradation Biodegradation of hydrocarbons by natural populations of microorganisms (such as many species of bacteria, fungi, and yeasts) represents one of the primary mechanisms by which petroleum and other hydrocarbon pollutants are eliminated from the environment. The biodegradation of petroleum and other hydrocarbons in the environment is a long-term complex process, whose quantitative and qualitative aspects depend on the type, nature and amount of the oil or hydrocarbon present, the ambient and seasonal environmental conditions (such as temperature, oxygen, nutrients, water activity, sahnity, and pH), and the composition of the autochthonous microbial community. 

Di Cagno, R., Cardinali, G., Minervini, G., etal. (2010) Taxonomic stmcture of the yeasts and lactic add bacteria microbiota of pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Meir.) and use of autochthonous starters for minimally processing. Food Microbiol 27, 381-389. 

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