Flocculation Characteristics of Yeasts: Ii. Sugars as Dispersing Agents

The flocculating power of a yeast is conveniently estimated in terms of the amount of a deflocculating agent which just disperses a standard suspension of the washed cells. Among the substances tested, a strong deflocculating action is shown by certain sugars, of which mannose and maltose are the most effective. Using a yeast which is dispersed by maltose, it has been shown that the course of flocculation in wort can be accounted for in terms of: (a) changes in the maltose concentration in the wort; and (b) the flocculating power of the washed cells themselves removed at various stages of growth.