THE USE OF GALACTARIC ACID TO INHIBIT FERMENTATION (YEAST)

The yeast species Saccharomyces Cerevisiae converts carbohydrates to carbondioxide and alcohols through the process of fermentation. The products of this reaction have been used in baking and the production of alcoholic beverages for thousands of years. S. Cerevisiae is also an important model organisms in modern cell biology research, and is one of the most thoroughly studied eukaroyotic micro-organisms. Researchers have cultured it in order to understand the biology of the Eukaryotic cell and ultimately human biology in great detail. The useful physiological properties of yeast have lead to their use in the field of biotechnology. Fermentation of sugars by yeast is the oldest and largest application of this technology. Many types of yeast are used for making many foods: Bakers yeast in bread production, brewers yeast in beer fermentation and yeast in wine fermentation and for Xylitol production. Yeast include some of the most widely used model organisms for genetics and cell biology.