''Torulaspora delbrueckii'' is a ubiquitous

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

with both wild and anthropic habitats. The type strain of ''T. delbrueckii'' is CBS 1146^T, equivalent to CLIB 230 or ATCC 10662
etc.
The type strain of ''T. delbrueckii'' CBS 1146 ^T was sequenced in 2009, and is composed of 8 chromosomes in addition to a mitochondrial genome. ''Torulaspora delbrueckii'' was formerly known as ''Saccharomyces delbrueckii'' or ''Saccharomyces rosei'' or ''Saccharomyces roseus'', and the

anamorph In mycology, the terms teleomorph, anamorph, and holomorph apply to portions of the life cycles of fungi in the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota: *Teleomorph: the sexual reproductive stage (morph), typically a fruiting body. *Anamorph: an ase ...

is called ''Candida colliculosa'' (for a complete list of synonyms, se
CBS's website
. ''Torulaspora delbrueckii'' is the most studied species of the genus ''

Torulaspora ''Torulaspora'' is a genus of ascomycetous yeasts in the family Saccharomycetaceae. See also *Yeast in winemaking The role of yeast in winemaking is the most important element that distinguishes wine from fruit juice. In the :wikt:anaerobic, a ...

'' that comprises 8 species to date, including ''T. franciscae'', ''T. pretoriensis'', ''T. microellipsoides'', ''T. globosa'', ''T. indica'', ''T. maleeae'', and ''T. quercuum''. The taxonomy of the genus ''Torulaspora'' is evolving rapidly, and the availability of molecular tools to discriminate ''Torulaspora'' species will help correcting errors in species assignments. Torulaspora delbrueckii's spores

Habitats

''Torulaspora delbrueckii'' is isolated from several human

bioprocess A bioprocess is a specific process that uses complete living cells or their components (e.g., bacteria, enzymes, chloroplasts) to obtain desired products. Transport of energy and mass is fundamental to many biological and environmental processes ...

es, including the bread industry where some ''T. delbrueckii'' strains are commercialized for frozen dough applications. Other applications include food fermentations of

silage Silage () is a type of fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of acidification. It can be fed to cattle, sheep and other such ruminants (cud-chewing animals). The fermentation and storage p ...

, cocoa, olive or cucumber; distilled and traditional

fermented beverage This is a list of fermented foods, which are foods produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms. In this context, fermentation typically refers to the fermentation of sugar to alcohol using yeast, but other fermentation processes involv ...

production including mescal,

colonche Colonche is an alcoholic red coloured drink from Mexico prepared with ''tuna'', the fruits of "nopal" ('' Opuntia'' cacti), especially with ''tuna cardona'', the fruits of '' Opuntia streptacantha''. It is prepared in the states where wild nopa ...

tequila Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the Agave tequilana, blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands ...

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...

, strawberry tree fruits juice, sugarcane juice or

kefir Kefir ( ; also spelled as kephir or kefier; ; ; ) is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt or ayran that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture. The drink originated in the North Caucasus, in pa ...

;

dairy product Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...

s’ fermentations like traditional cheeses and fermented milk. ''Torulaspora delbrueckii'' can be an opportunistic spoilage yeast for

s or

soft drink A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a su ...

s (fruit juices, etc.). ''Torulaspora delbrueckii'' colonizes several natural environments, ranging from soils, to plants, fruits and insects. ''T.delbrueckii'' is occasionally found as a clinical isolate, although not considered to be a human pathogen, a state described as

opportunistic pathogen An opportunistic infection is an infection caused by pathogens (bacteria, fungi, parasites or viruses) that take advantage of an opportunity not normally available. These opportunities can stem from a variety of sources, such as a weakened immune ...

Winemaking

''Torulaspora delbrueckii'' has been associated with

winemaking Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...

for decades and isolated either from

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

must Must (from the Latin ''vinum mustum'', "young wine") is freshly crushed fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace and typically makes up 7–23% of t ...

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

. ''Torulaspora delbrueckii'' is now proposed as starter culture (to be associated with ''S. cerevisiae'' in mixed cultures) for certain applications, particularly to reduce volatile acidity in high-sugar fermentations like in Sauternes wines. Recent findings show that ''T. delbrueckii'' species has been domesticated for winemaking and other human uses about 1900 and 4000 years ago respectively.

Life-cycle

The life-cycle of ''T. delbrueckii'' remains unclear. Some authors consider ''T. delbrueckii'' to be a haploid species, while more recent findings suggest ''T. delbrueckii'' have a mostly diploid

homothallic Homothallic refers to the possession, within a single organism, of the resources to reproduce sexually; i.e., having male and female reproductive structures on the same thallus. The opposite sexual functions are performed by different cells of a si ...

life. To date, the life-cycle of the species is not formally elucidated.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q733643 Saccharomycetaceae Yeasts used in brewing Winemaking Fungi described in 1904