The use of genetically modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains in the wine industry

Abstract

During the last decades, science and food technology have contributed at an accelerated rate to the introduction of new products to satisfy nutritional, socio-economic and quality requirements. With the emergence of modern molecular genetics, the industrial importance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, continuously extended. The demand for suitable genetically modified (GM) S. cerevisiae strains for the biofuel, bakery and beverage industries or for the production of biotechnological products (e.g. enzymes, pharmaceutical products) will be continuously growing in the future. Numerous specialized S. cerevisiae wine strains were obtained in the last years, possessing a wide range of optimized or novel oenological properties, capable to satisfy the demanding nature of modern winemaking practice. Unlocking the transcriptome, proteome and metabolome complexities contributes decisively to the knowledge about the genetic make-up of commercial yeast strains and will influence wine strain improvement by genetic engineering. The most relevant advances regarding the importance and implications of the use of genetically modified yeast strains in the wine industry are discussed in this Mini-Review, considering a variety of aspects such as the strategies used for the construction of the strains with respect to current legislation requirements, environmental risk evaluations concerning the deliberate release of genetically modified yeast strains, methods for the detection of recombinant DNA and protein that are currently under evaluation, and the reasons for the critical public perception towards the application of such strains.