Profiles of Killer Systems and Volatile Organic Compounds of Rowanberry and Rosehip-Inhabiting Yeasts Substantiate Implications for Biocontrol

Yeasts produce numerous antimicrobial agents such as killer toxins, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other secondary metabolites, establishing themselves in developing natural and sustainable biocontrol strategies for agriculture and food preservation. This study addressed the biocontrol poten...

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Main Authors: Iglė Vepštaitė-Monstavičė, Juliana Lukša-Žebelovič, Violeta Apšegaitė, Raimondas Mozūraitis, Robertas Lisicinas, Ramunė Stanevičienė, Laima Blažytė-Čereškienė, Saulius Serva, Elena Servienė
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Foods
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/2/288
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author Iglė Vepštaitė-Monstavičė
Juliana Lukša-Žebelovič
Violeta Apšegaitė
Raimondas Mozūraitis
Robertas Lisicinas
Ramunė Stanevičienė
Laima Blažytė-Čereškienė
Saulius Serva
Elena Servienė
author_facet Iglė Vepštaitė-Monstavičė
Juliana Lukša-Žebelovič
Violeta Apšegaitė
Raimondas Mozūraitis
Robertas Lisicinas
Ramunė Stanevičienė
Laima Blažytė-Čereškienė
Saulius Serva
Elena Servienė
author_sort Iglė Vepštaitė-Monstavičė
collection DOAJ
description Yeasts produce numerous antimicrobial agents such as killer toxins, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other secondary metabolites, establishing themselves in developing natural and sustainable biocontrol strategies for agriculture and food preservation. This study addressed the biocontrol potential of yeasts, isolated from spontaneous fermentations of rosehips (<i>Rosa canina</i> L.) and rowanberries (<i>Sorbus aucuparia</i> L.), focusing on their killer phenotypes and VOCs production. Yeasts were isolated using spontaneous fermentations with <i>Hanseniaspora uvarum</i> and <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> identified as the dominant species, comprising approximately 70% of the yeast population. Among 163 isolated strains, 20% demonstrated killing activity, with <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> exhibiting the strongest killing efficiency, as well as <i>Pichia anomala</i> and <i>M. pulcherrima</i> showing broad-spectrum antagonistic activity. This study identified dsRNA-encoded killer phenotypes in <i>S. cerevisiae</i>, <i>S. paradoxus</i>, and <i>Torulaspora delbrueckii</i>, revealing multiple distinct killer toxin types. The biocontrol potential of wild berry-inhabiting yeasts was demonstrated in a real food system, grape juice, where the <i>S. cerevisiae</i> K2-type killer strain significantly reduced fungal contaminants. The selected <i>H. uvarum</i>, <i>M. pulcherrima</i>, <i>S. cerevisiae</i>, and <i>S. paradoxus</i> yeast strains representing both berries were applied for VOC analysis and identification by gas chromatography-linked mass spectrometry. It was revealed that the patterns of emitted volatiles are yeast species-specific. Statistically significant differences between the individual VOCs were observed among killing phenotype-possessing vs. non-killer <i>S. paradoxus</i> yeasts, thus revealing the involvement of killer systems in multi-level biocontrol enablement. The performed studies deepen our understanding of potential yeast biocontrol mechanisms, highlight the importance of produced antimicrobials and volatiles in ensuring antagonistic efficacy, and prove the relevance of isolated biocontrol yeasts for improving food safety.
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issn 2304-8158
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publisher MDPI AG
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series Foods
spelling doaj-art-79638c0ec2a044169864115a2dd438cd2025-01-24T13:33:08ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-01-0114228810.3390/foods14020288Profiles of Killer Systems and Volatile Organic Compounds of Rowanberry and Rosehip-Inhabiting Yeasts Substantiate Implications for BiocontrolIglė Vepštaitė-Monstavičė0Juliana Lukša-Žebelovič1Violeta Apšegaitė2Raimondas Mozūraitis3Robertas Lisicinas4Ramunė Stanevičienė5Laima Blažytė-Čereškienė6Saulius Serva7Elena Servienė8Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, 10257 Vilnius, LithuaniaNature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, 08412 Vilnius, LithuaniaNature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, 08412 Vilnius, LithuaniaNature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, 08412 Vilnius, LithuaniaNature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, 08412 Vilnius, LithuaniaNature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, 08412 Vilnius, LithuaniaNature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, 08412 Vilnius, LithuaniaLife Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, 10257 Vilnius, LithuaniaNature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, 08412 Vilnius, LithuaniaYeasts produce numerous antimicrobial agents such as killer toxins, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other secondary metabolites, establishing themselves in developing natural and sustainable biocontrol strategies for agriculture and food preservation. This study addressed the biocontrol potential of yeasts, isolated from spontaneous fermentations of rosehips (<i>Rosa canina</i> L.) and rowanberries (<i>Sorbus aucuparia</i> L.), focusing on their killer phenotypes and VOCs production. Yeasts were isolated using spontaneous fermentations with <i>Hanseniaspora uvarum</i> and <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> identified as the dominant species, comprising approximately 70% of the yeast population. Among 163 isolated strains, 20% demonstrated killing activity, with <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> exhibiting the strongest killing efficiency, as well as <i>Pichia anomala</i> and <i>M. pulcherrima</i> showing broad-spectrum antagonistic activity. This study identified dsRNA-encoded killer phenotypes in <i>S. cerevisiae</i>, <i>S. paradoxus</i>, and <i>Torulaspora delbrueckii</i>, revealing multiple distinct killer toxin types. The biocontrol potential of wild berry-inhabiting yeasts was demonstrated in a real food system, grape juice, where the <i>S. cerevisiae</i> K2-type killer strain significantly reduced fungal contaminants. The selected <i>H. uvarum</i>, <i>M. pulcherrima</i>, <i>S. cerevisiae</i>, and <i>S. paradoxus</i> yeast strains representing both berries were applied for VOC analysis and identification by gas chromatography-linked mass spectrometry. It was revealed that the patterns of emitted volatiles are yeast species-specific. Statistically significant differences between the individual VOCs were observed among killing phenotype-possessing vs. non-killer <i>S. paradoxus</i> yeasts, thus revealing the involvement of killer systems in multi-level biocontrol enablement. The performed studies deepen our understanding of potential yeast biocontrol mechanisms, highlight the importance of produced antimicrobials and volatiles in ensuring antagonistic efficacy, and prove the relevance of isolated biocontrol yeasts for improving food safety.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/2/288biocontrolkiller yeastsdouble-stranded RNAvolatile organic compounds
spellingShingle Iglė Vepštaitė-Monstavičė
Juliana Lukša-Žebelovič
Violeta Apšegaitė
Raimondas Mozūraitis
Robertas Lisicinas
Ramunė Stanevičienė
Laima Blažytė-Čereškienė
Saulius Serva
Elena Servienė
Profiles of Killer Systems and Volatile Organic Compounds of Rowanberry and Rosehip-Inhabiting Yeasts Substantiate Implications for Biocontrol
Foods
biocontrol
killer yeasts
double-stranded RNA
volatile organic compounds
title Profiles of Killer Systems and Volatile Organic Compounds of Rowanberry and Rosehip-Inhabiting Yeasts Substantiate Implications for Biocontrol
title_full Profiles of Killer Systems and Volatile Organic Compounds of Rowanberry and Rosehip-Inhabiting Yeasts Substantiate Implications for Biocontrol
title_fullStr Profiles of Killer Systems and Volatile Organic Compounds of Rowanberry and Rosehip-Inhabiting Yeasts Substantiate Implications for Biocontrol
title_full_unstemmed Profiles of Killer Systems and Volatile Organic Compounds of Rowanberry and Rosehip-Inhabiting Yeasts Substantiate Implications for Biocontrol
title_short Profiles of Killer Systems and Volatile Organic Compounds of Rowanberry and Rosehip-Inhabiting Yeasts Substantiate Implications for Biocontrol
title_sort profiles of killer systems and volatile organic compounds of rowanberry and rosehip inhabiting yeasts substantiate implications for biocontrol
topic biocontrol
killer yeasts
double-stranded RNA
volatile organic compounds
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/2/288
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