Barley husk degradation driven by Fusarium graminearum xylanase triggers premature yeast flocculation factor generation

Abstract

Premature yeast flocculation (PYF) is a detrimental phenomenon in beer brewing that causes yeast to clump and settle too early, severely impacting fermentation efficiency and beer flavor. Although it is known that this issue is related to barley infection with fungi such as Fusarium graminearum, the exact biochemical triggering factors are still unclear, preventing the development of targeted prevention protocols. We assume that a specific type of xylanase secreted by F. graminearum can break down barley husk components and is a key driving factor for PYF. By analyzing the hydrolase and sugar compounds produced by fungi during their growth on barley husks, we found a strong correlation between xylanase activity, its degradation products, especially arabinoxylan fragments, and the occurrence of PYF. We further confirmed this by expressing the main xylanase through exogenous recombination and demonstrating that its decomposition products directly lead to premature flocculation of yeast during fermentation. These findings reveal the biochemical pathways from fungal infections to brewing defects and provide a basis for designing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits for rapid malt screening and developing strategies for inhibiting xylanase during the soaking stage to safeguard beer production against this long-term problem.

Keywords

Barley husk / Fusarium graminearum / Secretome / Xylanase / Premature yeast flocculation

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(31871785)

Science and Technology Re-search Program of Education Department of Jilin Province(JJKH20220247KJ)

Jilin City Science and Technology Innovation Development Plan Project(20240503006)

Rights & permissions

Jiangnan University