Maria Jesús Torija

• PhD in Biochemistry
• Professor (Associate) at Universidad Rovira i Virgili

Melatonin is an indole amine that is synthesized and interacts with glycolytic proteins during alcoholic fermentation in Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts depending on their yeast fermentative capacity. Due to its importance as a bioactive compound and antioxidant molecule, the aim of this study was to analyse the intracellular melatonin p...

Native wild yeasts from forest ecosystems represent an interesting potential source of biocontrol organisms in synergy with disease-tolerant forest materials. Yeasts have a combination of competitive mechanisms and low requirements for their biotechnological application as biocontrol agents. The current study aimed to increase the number of biocont...

Native wild yeasts from forest ecosystems represent an interesting potential source of biocontrol organisms in synergy with disease-tolerant forest materials. Yeasts have a combination of competitive mechanisms and low requirements for their biotechnological application as biocontrol agents. The current study aimed to increase the number of biocont...

The brewing ability of wild yeast strains obtained from forest and vineyards ecosystems was analysed and compared with commercial yeast strains. The selection of new yeast strains as a way to create new beer aromas and flavours and to use local strains to promote the proximity ingredients in brewing is a topic of interest in the craft beer sector....

Wine production has been performed during most of the recent history of humanity. Yeasts are the primary players involved in the transformation of grape must into wine, and the need for proper control of fermentation requires good microbiological knowledge and appropriate tools to monitor the process. The primary task of microorganisms in nature is...

The current use of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in mixed fermentations increases the relevance of the interactions between yeast species. In this work, the interactions between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Torulaspora delbrueckii were analyzed. For this purpose, fermentations with and without contact between strains of those yeast species were performe...

During alcoholic fermentation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is subjected to several stresses, among which ethanol is of capital importance. Melatonin, a bioactive molecule synthesized by yeast during alcoholic fermentation, has an antioxidant role and is proposed to contribute to counteracting fermentation-associated stresses. The aim of this study was...

Microbiological strategies are currently being considered as methods for reducing the ethanol content of wine. Fermentations started with a multistarter of three non-Saccharomyces yeasts (Metschnikowia pulcherrima (Mp), Torulaspora delbrueckii (Td) and Zygosaccharomyces bailii (Zb)) at different inoculum concentrations. S. cerevisiae (Sc) was inocu...

Grapevine shoots, known to be a source of bioactive stilbenes, are considered one of the most important and abundant waste products from the vineyard. The objective of this study was to obtain a pure stilbene extract from grapevine shoots and test its properties, mainly antimicrobial ones, as a preservative in wine. A new extract with a purity of 9...

Alcoholic fermentation and the production of wine has accompanied humanity for more than 10000 years. However, it has been only in the last 50 years when the winemakers have had the tools to manage and control the process. The methodology to analyze and monitor the succession of the microorganisms that participate in the process along with the effe...

Traditionally, beer has been recognised as a beverage with high microbiological stability because of the hostile growth environment posed by beer and increasing attention being paid to brewery hygiene. However, the mi-crobiological risk has increased in recent years because of technological advances toward reducing oxygen in beers, besides the incr...

Melatonin is a ubiquitous indolamine that plays important roles in various aspects of biological processes in mammals. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, melatonin has been reported to exhibit antioxidant properties and to modulate the expression of some genes involved in endogenous defense systems. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of supp...

The use of controlled mixed inocula of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces yeasts is a common practice in winemaking, with Torulaspora delbrueckii, Lachancea thermotolerans and Metschnikowia pulcherrima being the most commonly used non-Saccharomyces species. Although S. cerevisiae is usually the dominant yeast at the end of mixed ferment...

Benzenoids are compounds associated with floral and fruity flavours in flowers, fruits and leaves and present a role in hormonal signalling in plants. These molecules are produced by the phenyl ammonia lyase pathway. However, some yeasts can also synthesize them from aromatic amino acids using an alternative pathway that remains unknown. Hanseniasp...

Melatonin is a bioactive compound that is present in fermented beverages and has been described to be synthesized by yeast during alcoholic fermentation. The aim of this study was to assess the capacity of intracellular and extracellular melatonin production by different Saccharomyces strains from diverse food origin and to study the effects of dif...

Melatonin and serotonin are bioactive compounds present in foods and beverages and related to neuroprotection and anti-angiogenesis, among other activities. They have been described in wines and the role of yeast in their formation is clear. Thus, this study evaluates the content of these bioactives and other related indolic compounds in beer. For...

The alcohol content in wine has increased due to external factors in recent decades. In recent reports, some non-Saccharomyces yeast species have been confirmed to reduce ethanol during the alcoholic fermentation process. Thus, an efficient screening of non-Saccharomyces yeasts with low ethanol yield is required due to the broad diversity of these...

Non-Saccharomyces yeasts have long been considered spoilage microorganisms. Currently, oenological interest in those species is increasing, mostly due to their positive contribution to wine quality. In this work, the fermentative capacity and nitrogen consumption of several non-Saccharomyces wine yeast (Torulaspora delbrueckii, Lachancea thermotole...

Melatonin is an indole amine that interacts with some proteins in mammals, such as calreticulin, calmodulin or sirtuins. In yeast, melatonin is synthetized and interacts with glycolytic proteins during alcoholic fermentation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Due to its importance as an antioxidant molecule in both Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yea...

Melatonin is a bioactive compound that is present in fermented beverages and synthesized by yeast during alcoholic fermentation. Many studies have shown that melatonin interacts with some mammalian proteins, such as sirtuins or orphan receptor family proteins. The aim of this study was to determine the intracellular synthesis profile of melatonin i...

Certain bioactive compounds that derive from tryptophan have been determined in fermented foods, which suggests that the role of yeast is putative in origin. Melatonin is a neurohormone in humans that plays an important role in health. The activity of other compounds, such as 3-indoleacetic acid, has been recently highlighted, and interest in eluci...

Melatonin is a bioactive compound that is present in fermented beverages, such as wine and beer, at concentrations ranging from picograms to nanograms per mL of product. The purpose of this study was to optimize a novel fluorescent bioassay for detecting melatonin based on a cell line that contains the human melatonin receptor 1B gene and to compar...

Aromatic amino acid metabolism in yeast is an important source of secondary compounds that influence the aroma and flavour of alcoholic beverages and foods. Examples are the higher alcohol 2-phenylethanol, and its acetate ester, 2-phenylethyl acetate, which impart desirable floral aromas in wine, beer and baker’s products. Beyond this well-known in...

Oxidative stress is a common stress in yeasts during the stages of the winemaking process in which aerobic growth occurs, and it can modify the cellular lipid composition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the oxidative stress tolerance of two non-conventional yeasts (Torulaspora delbrueckii and Metschnikowia pulcherrima) compared to Saccharomy...

During wine fermentation, yeasts produce metabolites that are known growth regulators. The relationship between certain higher alcohols derived from aromatic amino acid metabolism and yeast signalling has previously been reported. In the present work, tryptophol (TrpOH) or melatonin (MEL), which are putative growth regulators, were added to alcohol...

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is synthesized from tryptophan by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and non-conventional yeast species. Antioxidant properties have been suggested as a possible role of melatonin in a S. cerevisiae wine strain. However, the possible antioxidant melatonin effect on non-Saccharomyces species and other strains of S. cer...

Yeasts secrete a large diversity of compounds during alcoholic fermentation, which affect growth rates and developmental processes, like filamentous growth. Several compounds are produced during aromatic amino acid metabolism, including aromatic alcohols, serotonin, melatonin, and tryptamine. We evaluated the effects of these compounds on growth pa...

Aromatic alcohols (tryptophol, phenylethanol, tyrosol) positively contribute to organoleptic characteristics of wines, and are also described as bioactive compounds and quorum sensing molecules. These alcohols are produced by yeast during alcoholic fermentation via the Erhlich pathway, although in non-Saccharomyces this production has been poorly s...

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine), which is synthesized from tryptophan, is formed during alcoholic fermentation, though its role in yeast is unknown. This study employed Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an eukaryote model to evaluate the possible effects of melatonin supplementation on endogenous cellular defense systems by measuring its effects...

In yeast, ethanol is produced as a by-product of fermentation through glycolysis. Ethanol also stimulates a developmental foraging response called filamentous growth and is thought to act as a quorum-sensing molecule. Ethanol-inducible filamentous growth was examined in a small collection of wine/European strains, which validated ethanol as an indu...

Wine spoilage is an important concern for winemakers to preserve the quality of their final product and avoid contamination throughout the production process. The use of sulphur dioxide (SO2) is highly recommended to prevent wine spoilage due to its antimicrobial activity. However, SO2 has a limited effect on the viability of acetic acid bacteria (...

This book, written by leading international authorities in the field, covers all the basic and applied aspects of acetic acid bacteria. It describes the importance of acetic acid bacteria in food industry by giving information on the microbiological properties of fermented foods as well as production procedures. Special attention is given to vinega...

Vinegar is the result of a double fermentation process (alcoholic fermentation followed by acetification) starting from any edible carbohydrate-rich source. It is widely consumed as a condiment and ingredient in different food formulations and recipes (sauces, marinades, dressings). The variety of vinegars in the market is relevant and new products...

Vinegar is the result of the double fermentation (alcoholic and acetic) of a sugary substrate. Vinegar has a very broad application due to the high acidity derived from its main component, acetic acid. It is used as a food preservative and a cooking condiment, although in many countries, it is used by itself in salads, in sauces such as vinaigrette...

Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) are a group of microorganisms highly used in the food industry. However, its use can be limited by the insufficient information known about the nutritional requirements of AAB for optimal growth. The aim of this work was to study the effects of different concentrations and sources of nitrogen on the growth of selected AAB...

Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) are known for rapid and incomplete oxidation of an extensively variety of alcohols and carbohydrates, resulting in the accumulation of organic acids as the final products. These oxidative fermentations in AAB are catalyzed by PQQ- or FAD- dependent membrane-bound dehydrogenases. In the present study, the enzyme activity o...

We report here the draft genome sequences of Gluconobacter cerinus strain CECT9110 and Gluconobacter japonicus CECT8443, acetic acid bacteria isolated from grape must. Gluconobacter species are well known for their ability to oxidize sugar alcohols into the corresponding acids. Our objective was to select strains to oxidize effectively d-glucose.

The present article reports the draft genome sequence of the strain Acetobacter malorum CECT 7742, an acetic acid bacterium isolated from strawberry vinegar. This species is characterized by the production of d -gluconic acid from d -glucose, which it further metabolizes to keto- d -gluconic acids.

Modern societies produce massive surpluses of food, by-products and wastes that increase the interest for their revalorisation. This work examines the use of a culture of Gluconobacter japonicus CECT 8843, without pH control, to convert selectively the glucose content of industrially pasteurized strawberry purée into gluconic acid for the developme...

The oxidative metabolism of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) can be exploited for the production of several compounds, including d-gluconic acid. The production of d-gluconic acid in fermented beverages could be useful for the development of new products without glucose. In the present study, we analyzed nineteen strains belonging to eight different spec...

The present article reports the draft genome sequence of the strain Komagataeibacter europaeus CECT 8546, an acetic acid bacterium characterized by its ability to overproduce cellulose. This species is highly resistant to acetic acid and commonly found during vinegar elaboration.

Strawberry surpluses, which may account for about 20% of the whole production, could be an example of what is happening with other fruits. This surplus is largely transformed into strawberry purée which, although is especially suitable for various bioconversions, is mainly used as an additional ingredient to produce other foods. With a view to usin...

a b s t r a c t Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) usually develop biofilm on the aireliquid interface of the vinegar elaborated by traditional method. This is the first study in which the AAB microbiota present in a biofilm of vinegar obtained by traditional method was detected by pyrosequencing. Direct genomic DNA extraction from biofilm was set up to ob...

The ability of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) to produce cellulose has gained much industrial interest due to the physical and chemical characteristics of bacterial cellulose. The production of cellulose occurs in the presence of oxygen and in a glucose-containing medium, but it can also occur during vinegar elaboration by the traditional method. The v...

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Metabolites resulting from nitrogen metabolism in yeast are currently found in some fermented beverages such as wine and beer. Their study has recently attracted the attention of researchers. Some metabolites derived from aromatic amino acids are bioactive compounds that can behave as hormones or even mimic their role in humans and may also act as...

The production of vinegar depends on an oxidation process that is mainly performed by acetic acid bacteria. Despite the different methods of vinegar production (more or less designated as either "fast" or "traditional"), the use of pure starter cultures remains far from being a reality. Uncontrolled mixed cultures are normally used, but this review...