PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - H. Volschenk
AU  - M. Viljoen
AU  - J. Grobler
AU  - F. Bauer
AU  - A. Lonvaud-Funel
AU  - M. Denayrolles
AU  - R. E. Subden
AU  - H. J. J. Van Vuuren
TI  - Malolactic Fermentation in Grape Musts by a Genetically Engineered Strain of <em>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</em>
AID  - 10.5344/ajev.1997.48.2.193
DP  - 1997 Jan 01
TA  - American Journal of Enology and Viticulture
PG  - 193--197
VI  - 48
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.ajevonline.org/content/48/2/193.short
4100  - http://www.ajevonline.org/content/48/2/193.full
SO  - Am J Enol Vitic.1997 Jan 01; 48
AB  - Malate enters Saccharomyces cerevisiae by simple diffusion. Due to the lack of a malate transporter and the low affinity of the S. cerevisiae malic enzyme, this yeast is unable to degrade malate efficiently. We have constructed a malolactic yeast strain by co-expressing the malate permease gene (mae1) of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the Lactococcus lactis malolactic gene (mleS) in S. cerevisiae. The recombinant strain of S. cerevisiae transported malate and actively metabolized malate to lactate within three days in Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz grape musts at 20°C. The malolactic fermentation in Chardonnay grape must was completed within seven days at 15°C. The efficient degradation of malate in grape musts is important to wineries and the availability of malolactic yeasts will allow the early application of cellar operations for storage and aging of wine.