Yeast Fermentations and Enzymes

Some Early Observations of Asymmetric Induction by Fischer 

The use of the enzyme system then known as invertin, which was extracted from beer yeast with water and precipitated from the aqueous solution, was available to Fischer when he began his classical studies of the enzymic hydrolysis of glucosides reported in 1894. The stage was also set by another enzyme known as emulsin, which Fischer purchased from E. Merck, Darmstadt, and which was known to hydrolyze several natural aromatic glucosides such as salicin, coniferin, arbutin, and the synthetic phenyl glucoside. These aryl glucosides were already known to not be cleaved by invertin. 

Experiments That Demonstrated the Chemical Basis of Biology 

Racemic mannose yeast- /-mannose + C02 + ethanol Similarly, (/-glucose, /-fructose, or (/-galactose yeasl C02 + ethanol However, /-glucose, (/-fructose, or /-galactose yeast no fermentation 

Thefermentabilityofhexoses is in close relationship to the geometric shape of the molecule and can even be designated as a stereochemical question. 

---