Sophie Landaud

Formation of volatile sulfur compounds and metabolism of methionine and other sulfur compounds in fermented food

The formation of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) in fermented food is a subject of interest. Such compounds are essential for the aroma of many food products like cheeses or fermented beverages, in which they can play an attractive or a repulsive role, depending on their identity and their concentration. VSC essentially arise from common sulfur-bearing precursors, methionine being the most commonly found. In the first section of this paper, the main VSC found in cheese, wine, and beer are reviewed. It is shown that a wide variety of VSC has been evidenced in these food products. Because of their low odor threshold and flavor notes, these compounds impart essential sensorial properties to the final product. In the second section of this review, the main (bio)chemical pathways leading to VSC synthesis are presented. Attention is focused on the microbial/enzymatic phenomena—which initiate sulfur bearing precursors degradation—leading to VSC production. Although chemical reactions could also play an important role in this process, this aspect is not fully developed in our review. The main catabolic pathways leading to VSC from the precursor methionine are presented.

Evidence for distinct L-methionine catabolic pathways in the yeast Geotrichum candidum and the bacterium Brevibacterium linens

ABSTRACT Tracing experiments were carried out to identify volatile and nonvolatile l-methionine degradation intermediates and end products in the yeast Geotrichum candidum and in the bacterium Brevibacterium linens, both of which are present in the surface flora of certain soft cheeses and contribute to the ripening reactions. Since the acid-sensitive bacterium B. linens is known to produce larger amounts and a greater variety of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) than the yeast G. candidum produces, we examined whether the l-methionine degradation routes of these microorganisms differ. In both microorganisms, methanethiol and α-ketobutyrate are generated; the former compound is the precursor of other VSCs, and the latter is subsequently degraded to 2,3-pentanedione, which has not been described previously as an end product of l-methionine catabolism. However, the l-methionine degradation pathways differ in the first steps of l-methionine degradation. l-Methionine degradation is initiated by a one-step degradation process in the bacterium B. linens, whereas a two-step degradation pathway with 4-methylthio-2-oxobutyric acid (MOBA) and 4-methylthio-2-hydroxybutyric acid (MHBA) as intermediates is used in the yeast G. candidum. Since G. candidum develops earlier than B. linens during the ripening process, MOBA and MHBA generated by G.candidum could also be used as precursors for VSC production by B. linens.

Genome sequence of Staphylococcus equorum subsp. equorum Mu2, isolated from a French smear-ripened cheese.

Staphylococcus equorum subsp. equorum is a member of the coagulase-negative staphylococcus group and is frequently isolated from fermented food products and from food-processing environments. It contributes to the formation of aroma compounds during the ripening of fermented foods, especially cheeses and sausages. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Staphylococcus equorum subsp. equorum Mu2 to provide insights into its physiology and compare it with other Staphylococcus species.

Identification of a powerful aroma compound in munster and camembert cheeses: ethyl 3-mercaptopropionate.

With the view to investigate the presence of thiols in cheese, the use of different methods of preparation and extraction with an organomercuric compound ( p-hydroxymercuribenzoate) enabled the isolation of a new compound. The analysis of cheese extracts by gas chromatography coupled with pulse flame photometry, mass spectrometry, and olfactometry detections led to the identification of ethyl 3-mercaptopropionate in Munster and Camembert cheeses. This compound, described at low concentrations as having pleasant, fruity, grapy, rhubarb, and empyreumatic characters, has previously been reported in wine and Concord grape but was never mentioned before in cheese. A possible route for the formation of this compound in relation with the catabolism of sulfur amino acids is proposed.

Exploration of sulfur metabolism in the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis

Hemiascomycetes are separated by considerable evolutionary distances and, as a consequence, the mechanisms involved in sulfur metabolism in the extensively studied yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, could be different from those of other species of the phylum. This is the first time that a global view of sulfur metabolism is reported in the biotechnological yeast Kluyveromyces lactis. We used combined approaches based on transcriptome analysis, metabolome profiling, and analysis of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs). A comparison between high and low sulfur source supplies, i.e., sulfate, methionine, or cystine, was carried out in order to identify key steps in the biosynthetic and catabolic pathways of the sulfur metabolism. We found that sulfur metabolism of K. lactis is mainly modulated by methionine. Furthermore, since sulfur assimilation is highly regulated, genes coding for numerous transporters, key enzymes involved in sulfate assimilation and the interconversion of cysteine to methionine pathways are repressed under conditions of high sulfur supply. Consequently, as highlighted by metabolomic results, intracellular pools of homocysteine and cysteine are maintained at very low concentrations, while the cystathionine pool is highly expandable. Moreover, our results suggest a new catabolic pathway for methionine to VSCs in this yeast: methionine is transaminated by the ARO8 gene product into 4-methylthio-oxobutyric acid (KMBA), which could be exported outside of the cell by the transporter encoded by PDR12 and demethiolated by a spontaneous reaction into methanethiol and its derivatives.

Global regulation of the response to sulfur availability in the cheese-related bacterium Brevibacterium aurantiacum.

ABSTRACT In this study, we combined metabolic reconstruction, growth assays, and metabolome and transcriptome analyses to obtain a global view of the sulfur metabolic network and of the response to sulfur availability in Brevibacterium aurantiacum. In agreement with the growth of B. aurantiacum in the presence of sulfate and cystine, the metabolic reconstruction showed the presence of a sulfate assimilation pathway, thiolation pathways that produce cysteine (cysE and cysK) or homocysteine (metX and metY) from sulfide, at least one gene of the transsulfuration pathway (aecD), and genes encoding three MetE-type methionine synthases. We also compared the expression profiles of B. aurantiacum ATCC 9175 during sulfur starvation or in the presence of sulfate. Under sulfur starvation, 690 genes, including 21 genes involved in sulfur metabolism and 29 genes encoding amino acids and peptide transporters, were differentially expressed. We also investigated changes in pools of sulfur-containing metabolites and in expression profiles after growth in the presence of sulfate, cystine, or methionine plus cystine. The expression of genes involved in sulfate assimilation and cysteine synthesis was repressed in the presence of cystine, whereas the expression of metX, metY, metE1, metE2, and BL613, encoding a probable cystathionine-γ-synthase, decreased in the presence of methionine. We identified three ABC transporters: two operons encoding transporters were transcribed more strongly during cysteine limitation, and one was transcribed more strongly during methionine depletion. Finally, the expression of genes encoding a methionine γ-lyase (BL929) and a methionine transporter (metPS) was induced in the presence of methionine in conjunction with a significant increase in volatile sulfur compound production.

New Insights into Sulfur Metabolism in Yeasts as Revealed by Studies of Yarrowia lipolytica

ABSTRACT Yarrowia lipolytica, located at the frontier of hemiascomycetous yeasts and fungi, is an excellent candidate for studies of metabolism evolution. This yeast, widely recognized for its technological applications, in particular produces volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) that fully contribute to the flavor of smear cheese. We report here a relevant global vision of sulfur metabolism in Y. lipolytica based on a comparison between high- and low-sulfur source supplies (sulfate, methionine, or cystine) by combined approaches (transcriptomics, metabolite profiling, and VSC analysis). The strongest repression of the sulfate assimilation pathway was observed in the case of high methionine supply, together with a large accumulation of sulfur intermediates. A high sulfate supply seems to provoke considerable cellular stress via sulfite production, resulting in a decrease of the availability of the glutathione pathways sulfur intermediates. The most limited effect was observed for the cystine supply, suggesting that the intracellular cysteine level is more controlled than that of methionine and sulfate. Using a combination of metabolomic profiling and genetic experiments, we revealed taurine and hypotaurine metabolism in yeast for the first time. On the basis of a phylogenetic study, we then demonstrated that this pathway was lost by some of the hemiascomycetous yeasts during evolution.

Investigation of Associations of Yarrowia lipolytica, Staphylococcus xylosus, and Lactococcus lactis in Culture as a First Step in Microbial Interaction Analysis

ABSTRACT The interactions that may occur between microorganisms in different ecosystems have not been adequately studied yet. We investigated yeast-bacterium interactions in a synthetic medium using different culture associations involving the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica 1E07 and two bacteria, Staphylococcus xylosus C2a and Lactococcus lactis LD61. The growth and biochemical characteristics of each microorganism in the different culture associations were studied. The expression of genes related to glucose, lactate, and amino acid catabolism was analyzed by reverse transcription followed by quantitative PCR. Our results show that the growth of Y. lipolytica 1E07 is dramatically reduced by the presence of S. xylosus C2a. As a result of a low amino acid concentration in the medium, the expression of Y. lipolytica genes involved in amino acid catabolism was downregulated in the presence of S. xylosus C2a, even when L. lactis was present in the culture. Furthermore, the production of lactate by both bacteria had an impact on the lactate dehydrogenase gene expression of the yeast, which increased up to 30-fold in the three-species culture compared to the Y. lipolytica 1E07 pure culture. S. xylosus C2a growth dramatically decreased in the presence of Y. lipolytica 1E07. The growth of lactic acid bacteria was not affected by the presence of S. xylosus C2a or Y. lipolytica 1E07, although the study of gene expression showed significant variations.

Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium casei UCMA 3821, Isolated from a Smear-Ripened Cheese

Corynebacterium casei is one of the most prevalent species present on the surfaces of smear-ripened cheeses, where it contributes to the production of the desired organoleptic properties. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Corynebacterium casei UCMA 3821 to provide insights into its physiology.

S-methyl thioesters are produced from fatty acids and branched-chain amino acids by brevibacteria: focus on l-leucine catabolic pathway and identification of acyl–CoA intermediates

Despite their importance as potent odors that contribute to the aroma of numerous cheeses, S-methyl thioesters formation pathways have not been fully established yet. In a first part of our work, we demonstrated that Brevibacterium antiquum and Brevibacterium aurantiacum could produce S-methyl thioesters using short-chain fatty acids or branched-chain amino acids as precursors. Then, we focused our work on l-leucine catabolism using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses coupled with tracing experiments. For the first time, several acyl–CoAs intermediates of the l-leucine to thioesters conversion pathway were identified. S-methyl thioisovalerate was produced from l-leucine, indicating that this amino acid was initially transaminated. Quite interestingly, data also showed that other S-methyl thioesters, e.g., S-methyl thioacetate or S-methyl thioisobutyrate, were produced from l-leucine. Enzymatic and tracing experiments allowed for postulating catabolic pathways leading to S-methyl thioesters biosynthesis.