Flavor patterns of beer fermented by Lachancea thermotolerans

Lachancea thermotolerans, formerly known as Kluyveromyces thermotolerans, is the yeast that produces ethanol and lactic acid in sour beer fermentation. The three strains of L. thermotolerans were isolated in this study, and their performances as starters for sour beer fermentation were evaluated. All L. thermotolerans isolates exhibited comparable performances to the control in producing ethanol, acetic acid, and lactic acid. Electronic nose and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis revealed that flavor patterns of beer varied notably according to the L. thermotolerans strains used. Among the three L. thermotolerans isolates, the NIYL22663 was most prominent in producing flavor compounds. In addition, it was suggested that six flavor compounds, including ethyl acetate, isoamyl alcohol, and isoamyl acetate, are closely related to NIYL22663.