Home • Hanseniaspora valbyensis NRRL Y-1626 v1.1
Hanseniaspora valbyensis photo
Hanseniaspora valbyensis CBS 479.
Budding cells in Yeast Nitrogen Base with glucose.
Bar=5 micrometers
(CBS website, T. van Beers and T. Boekhout)

Hanseniaspora valbyensis is an unusual yeast that is often found in traditional balsamic vinegar and cider fermentations. Balsamic vinegar is made by a natural fermentation of cooked grapes. As such, H. valbyensis will propagate in a stressful environment that has high sugar and acid contents and that is rich in pectins (1). H. valbyensis is known for its significant pectinolytic activity (2), which could account for its prevalence in balsamic and natural cider fermentations (3). It is also unusual in that it possesses endo-glucanase activity (4), and will tolerate relatively high levels of selenium (6). It does not produce high levels of ethanol but does form significant amounts of ethyl and phenethyl acetate (5). Its osmotolerance, acid tolerance and capacities for polysaccharide depolymerization, make it of particular biotechnological interest. Species of Hanseniospora can be divided into two subgroups based on their electrophoretic chromosome patterns with H. valbyensis showing 8 to 9 chromosomes while the other members of the genus have 5 (7).

Genome Reference(s)

 

 

1.    Solieri L & Giudici P (2008) Yeasts associated to Traditional Balsamic Vinegar: Ecological and technological features. International Journal of Food Microbiology 125(1):36-45.

2.    Panon G, Massiot P, & Drilleau JF (1995) Pectinolytic enzymes production by yeasts in cider fermentation. Sciences Des Aliments 15(1):31-42.

3.    Valles BS, Bedrinana RP, Tascon NF, Simon AQ, & Madrera RR (2007) Yeast species associated with the spontaneous fermentation of cider. Food Microbiology 24(1):25-31.

4.    Abdelal ATH & Phaff HJ (1969) Purification and properties of endo-beta-glucanase in yeast Hanseniaspora valbyensis Canadian Journal of Microbiology 15(7):697

5.    Xu Y, Zhao GA, & Wang LP (2006) Controlled formation of volatile components in cider making using a combination of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Hanseniaspora valbyensis yeast species. (Translated from English) Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology 33(3):192-196 (in English).

6.    Golubev VI & Golubev NV (2002) Selenium tolerance of yeasts. Microbiology 71(4):386-390.

7.    Esteve-Zarzoso B, Peris-Toran MJ, Ramon D, & Querol A (2001) Molecular characterisation of Hanseniaspora species. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek International Journal of General and Molecular Microbiology 80(1):85-92.