Non-conventional yeasts in beer production - A review

The aim of this review is to present the advantages and disadvantages of using non-conventional yeasts in beer production. As a whole, beer production is a traditional process, in which Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces pastorianus are used for ale and lager fermentation, respectively. The increasing interest in the use of non-conventional yeasts is a result of the advent of craft brewing, as well as the consumer demands for innovative and healthy beverages. Non-conventional yeasts include different species of the genus Saccharomyces, as well as species that are contaminating microflora for the various beverage productions such as Candida spp., Hanseniaspora spp., Lachancea spp., Pichia spp., Saccharomycodes spp., Schizosaccharomyces spp., Torulaspora spp. and Zygosaccharomyces spp. Non- conventional brewing strains can produce different metabolites that are potentially interesting for the production of new beer styles.