Ethanol-induced death of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at low and intermediate growth temperatures

In the upper range of growth temperatures ethanol, at physiological concentrations, affects the viability of cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and similar yeasts by enhancing thermal death. There is evidence, however, that yeast viability may also be affected by ethanol in such concentrations at much lower temperatures. Difficulties with yeast viability in the brewing of high-alcohol beers at low temperatures point in the same direction. Here the authors present results indicating that in addition to ethanol-enhanced thermal death, another form of ethanol-induced death occurs in S. cerevisiae that can be distinguished from the former by its temperature relations and its thermodynamic activation parameters.