Saccharomyces kudriavzevii and Saccharomyces uvarum differ from Saccharomyces 1

12 Higher alcohols and acetate esters are important flavour and aroma components in the food 13 industry. In alcoholic beverages these compounds are produced by yeast during fermentation. 14 Although S. cerevisiae is one of the most extensively used species, other species of the 15 Saccharomyces genus have become common in fermentation processes. This study analyses 16 and compares the production of higher alcohols and acetate esters from their amino acidic 17 precursors in three Saccharomyces species: S. kudriavzevii, S. uvarum and S. cerevisiae. 18 The global volatile compound analysis revealed that S. kudriavzevii produced large amounts 19 of higher alcohols, whereas S. uvarum excelled in the production of acetate esters. Particularly 20 from phenylalanine, S. uvarum produced the largest amounts of 2-phenylethyl acetate, while 21 S. kudriavzevii obtained the greatest 2-phenylethanol formation from this precursor. 22 The present data indicate differences in the amino acid metabolism and subsequent production 23 of flavour-active higher alcohols and acetate esters among the closely related Saccharomyces 24 species. This knowledge will prove useful for developing new enhanced processes in 25 fragrance, flavour, and food industries. 26 27