Abstract
The present study investigated for the first time the effects of various physicochemical parameters on the production of volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) by non-growing cells of Kluyveromyces lactis supplemented with L-methionine. The results showed that the production of VSCs positively correlated with the cell biomass, but it seemed that no clear relationship with L-methionine concentration existed. Temperature and pH significantly affected the formation of VSCs with more production at 30 °C and pH 5, respectively. Nitrogen supplementation (in the form of diammonium phosphate, DAP) repressed the production of VSCs. It is interesting to note that DAP and yeast extract supplementation induced the production of methional, but not Mn2+ supplementation. The presence of Mn2+ improved the production of methionol and dimethyl disulphide, but inhibited the formation of S-methyl thioacetate. The study indicated that optimization of physicochemical conditions and media composition would be crucial for producing L-methionine-derived VSC bioflavor.