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Glycosides are flavorless compounds often found in plants/fruits that are composed of a molecule (often a flavor active compound) bound to a sugar molecule. The glycosidic bond can be broken, releasing the sugar molecule and the potentially flavor active compound. These bonds can be broken with exposure to acid, as well as specific enzymes which can be added synthetically or produced naturally by some microorganisms, including some strains of ''Brettanomyces'' <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycoside "Glycoside." Wikipedia. Retrieved 06/27/2016.]</ref>. The release of flavor molecules from glycosides is thought to contribute to the flavor development of aging wines, as well as kriek (cherry) lambic <ref name="Daenen2">[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1567-1364.2008.00421.x/pdf Evaluation of the glycoside hydrolase activity of aBrettanomyces strain on glycosides from sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) used in the production of special fruit beers. Luk Daenen, Femke Sterckx, Freddy R. Delvaux, Hubert Verachtert & Guy Derdelinckx. 2007.]</ref>. It is speculated that flavor compounds from hops can also be released from glycosides <ref name="Daenen1">[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2007.03566.x/full Screening and evaluation of the glucoside hydrolase activity in Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces brewing yeasts. L. Daenen, D. Saison, F. Sterckx, F.R. Delvaux, H. Verachtert, G. Derdelinckx. 2007.]</ref>. See the [[Glycosides]] page for more details.

====Beta-Glucosidase==== Aglycones can be released from glycosides by either exposure to acid (generally pH of 3 or lower, and different pH's giving different results on which glycosides are broken down; this breakdown of glycosides under low pH has been linked to the slow flavor development of aging wine <ref name="Maicas"></ref>), or by enzymes called beta-glycosidases. Enzymatic breakdown of glycosides as been described as producing a more "natural" flavor in wines versus acidic breakdown. Some fruits have been observed (mostly wine grapes) to have limited beta-glucosidase activity within themselves, however it has been observed as being unstable and having low activity at the low pH of wine and sour beer <ref name="Maicas"></ref>.  Beta-glycosidase enzymes can be added artificially, however there has been much interest in the natural capability of microorganisms to produce beta-glycosidases, particularly 1,4-β-glucosidase <ref name="Winterhalter"></ref>. Microorganisms that can break down glycosides by using beta-glucosidases can then access the resulting sugars for fermentation <ref name="Steensels"></ref>. There are two major categories of glucosidase activity: endogenous and exogenous. Endogenous enzymatic activity takes place inside of the cell, and exogenous enzymatic activity takes place outside of the cell. Bacteria and fungi that show endogenous glucosidase activity have been shown not to be effective in alcoholic fermentation due to not tolerating low pH (optimum pH of 5), glucose, and/or ethanol. Generally, the flavorless glycosides remain unaffected by yeast fermentation, leaving them unused as a potential source for flavor and aroma <ref name="Winterhalter"></ref>.  Exogenous beta-glycosidase activity has been shown to be much more effective at releasing aglycones from glycosides in bacteria and fungi. For glycosides which contain a glucose, which is the majority, beta-glucosidase cleaves the sugar, thus releasing the aglycone. For glycosides that contain disaccharides, usually another enzyme must be present to first break down the disaccharide before the beta-glucosidase can release the aglycone (beta-xylosidase, alpha-arabinosidase, alpha-rhamnosidase, or beta-apiosidase) <ref name="Winterhalter"></ref>. However, glycosides in tea leaves that contain disaccharide sugars (cellulose/cellobiose <ref name="ucdavis_chemwiki"></ref>) have been observed to be broken down without the use of these other enzymes; the beta-glucosidase cleaves the aglycone from the disaccharide on its own. Some species of yeast (''Debaryomyces castelli'', ''D. hansenii'', ''D. polymorphus'', ''Kloeckera apiculata'', ''Hansenula anomala'', and ''Brettanomyces'' spp), bacteria (''Oenococcus oeni''), and fungi (''Aspergillus niger'') have been found to have strain dependent beta-glucosidase activity, however several inhibitors for glucosidase activity vary for different strains of microbes. These inhibitors include the presence of glucose, pH, temperature, ethanol, and phenols <ref name="Maicas"></ref><ref name="Mansfield">[https://theses.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-07262001-172630/unrestricted/Mansfieldthesis.pdf Quantification of Glycosidase Activities in Selected Strains of Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Oenococcus oeni. A. K. Mansfield, B. W. Zoecklein and R. S. Whiton. 2001.]</ref>. For example, for some strains of ''O. oeni'', as little as 10mg/L of glucose is enough to inhibit beta-glucosidase activity, or the presence of alcohol or typical wine pH (3.0 - 4.0) was enough to inhibit. Other strains of ''O. oeni'' are not inhibited by some or all of these inhibitors <ref>[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168160505003296 A survey of glycosidase activities of commercial wine strains of Oenococcus oeni. Antonio Grimaldi, Eveline Bartowsky, Vladimir Jiranek. 2005.]</ref>. ====Activity of Brettanomyces and Saccharomyces==== One study screened See the beta-glucosidase activity of several strains of ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'', ''Saccharomyces pastorianus'', and ''Brettanomyces'' spp <ref name="Daenen1">[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2007.03566.x/full Screening and evaluation of the glucoside hydrolase activity in Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces brewing yeasts. L. Daenen, D. Saison, F. Sterckx, F.R. Delvaux, H. Verachtert, G. Derdelinckx. 2007.]</ref>. None of the lager brewing strains showed beta-glucosidase activity. Out of 32 strains of ''S. cerevisiae'', only one strain (a wine strain called "U228") showed beta-glucosidase activity, however its activity was repressed in the presence of glucose. This indicates that most ''S. cerevisiae'' strains do not have the capability of producing beta-glucosidase, but it is possible that some very few strains can <ref name="Daenen1"></ref>. However, beta-glucosidase activity for ''S. cerevisiae'' is inhibited by pH levels of wine and sour beer (optimal at pH 5) <ref name="Mansfield"></ref>. All strains of ''S. cerevisiae'' did release another enzyme called beta-glucanase, which led to varying degrees of breaking down some smaller glycosides found in hops (hop extract was tested, not whole hops) containing the aglycones methyl salicylate, 1-octen-3-ol, and cis-3-hexen-1-ol, but not linalool (it's worth noting that other research using whole hops has shown no significant hop derived aglycones when using beta-glucosidase active ''Saccharomyces'' strains; publication yet to be released <ref>Private correspondence with Daniel Sharp from Oregon State University and Dan Pixley. 05/16/2016.</ref>). None of the ''B. bruxellensis'' strains showed this activity, but the only tested strain of ''B. custersianus'' and both of the ''B. anomala'' strains tested did show cell-associated (intracellular) beta-glucosidase activity. In particular, the ''B. custersianus'' strain was tested against glycosides from hops, in which case high amounts of the aglycones linalool (citrus, orange, lemon, floral <ref>[http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1007872.html "Linalool." The Good Scents Company. Retrieved 05/12/2016.Glycosides]</ref>), methyl salicylate (minty, wintergreen <ref>[http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2015/09/methyl-salicylate-oil-wintergreen-podcast "Methyl salicylate." Chemistry World. Retrieved 05/12/2016.]</ref>), 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy <ref>[http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1024051.html "1-octen-3-ol." The Good Scents Company. Retrieved 05/12/2016.]</ref>) and cis-3-hexen-1-ol (grassy, melon rind <ref>[http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1005932.html "(Z)-3-hexen-1-ol." The Good Scents Company. Retrieved 05/12/2016.]</ref>) were released from hop extracts <ref name="Daenen1"></ref>. The beta-glucosidase activity was elevated when co-fermenting ''B. custersianus'' with ''S. cerevisiae''. The authors also found dihydroedulan 1 and 2 (elderberry aroma) and theaspirane A and B (woody and campfire aromas), which are classified as norisoprenoids, were released from dry hopping <ref>[http://www.asbcnet.org/events/archives/Documents/2008WBCprogbook.pdf World Brewing Congress, 2008. Pg 80. Retrieved 05/13/2016.]</ref>. ''B. custersianus'' has been isolated from the later stages of lambic fermentation, and it is thought that its ability to produce beta-glucosidase, which gives it the ability to ferment cellobiose and cellotriose, is a possible adaptation from living in oak barrels <ref name="Daenen1"></ref>. Recent studies on hops have linked an increase in fruity thiols from hops (3-mercaptohexan-1-ol and 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one) being produced during fermentation, and this could also explain anecdotal reports of increased fruity aromas from exposing hops to fermentation (it is unknown what exactly causes the increase in thiols during fermentation) <ref>Private correspondence with Richard Preiss by Dan Pixley. 05/16/2016.</ref><ref>[https://beerandbrewing.com/VuhJRCUAAHMUNfil/article/hops-oils--aroma-uncharted-waters "Hops Oils & Aroma: Uncharted Waters," by Stan Hieronymus. Beer & Brewing. 03/16/2016. Retrieved 05/16/2016.]</ref>. The same strain of ''B. custersianus'' was screened for beta-glucosidase activity and aglycone byproducts during the refermentation of sour cherries in beer (a very small amount of the byproducts were manufactured by the yeast ''de novo'', particularly linalool, alpha-terpineol, alpha-ionol, and a precursor that leads to beta-damascenone under low pH conditions). Different portions of the cherries were tested: whole cherries with stones (pits), cherry pulp without stones, cherry juice without stones or other solids from the fruit, and the stones alone. Benzaldehyde (almond, cherry stone flavor) was produced during fermentation in all cases, and reduced to benzyl alcohol (almond flavor) and benzyl acetate (fruity, jasmin flavor) by the end of fermentation. There were higher levels of these benzyl based compounds in the whole cherries and cherry stone alone samples, indicating that cherry stones make a big impact on the almond flavors found in cherry sour beers. Methyl salicylate, linalool, alpha-terpineol (pine), geraniol (rose, lime, floral) and alpha-ionol (floral, violet), eugenol (spicy, clove, medicinal) and isoeugenol (fine delicate clove) levels increased in all forms of cherries added except page for stones alone, indicating that these aglycones are more present in the flesh and juice of the cherries <ref name="Daenen2"></ref>. Many strains of ''B. bruxellensis'' have also been found to have varying degrees of intracellular or parietal (attached to the cell wall) beta-glucosidase activity. ''Brettanomyces'' has more strains that can produce beta-glucosidase than other genera of yeast, and the strains generally also have a higher rate of beta-glucosidase activity than other genera of yeast <ref>[http://linkdetails.springer.com/article/10.1038/sj.jim.2900720 Quantification of glycosidase activities in selected yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. H McMahon, B W Zoecklein, K Fugelsang, Y Jasinski. 1999.]</ref><ref name="Mansfield"></ref>. Some ''Brettanomyces'' strains may only be capable of beta-glucosidase activity, and not the other enzymes which are needed to break down disaccharide type glycosides. Additionally, cell death and autolysis can result in an increase in beta-glucosidase activity in solution due to the cell contents being released into solution <ref name="Mansfield"></ref>. Strains that can metabolize cellobiose tend to also have higher beta-glucosidase activity because the possess an extra gene for beta-glucosidase enzyme production <ref name="Crauwels1"></ref>. ====See Also====* [http://www.centralstatebrewing.com/blog/2015/7/1/whats-that-smell-eraroma-compound "What's that Smell? Er...Aroma Compound?" by Cy Wood.]* [https://beersensoryscience.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/glycosides/ "Glycosides: The Hidden Flavors" by Beer Sensory Science blog.]* [https://www.uclouvain.be/cps/ucl/doc/inbr/documents/presentation-jean-marie-rock.pdf "Dry Hopping Myths versus Reality," slideshow by Jean-Marie Rock, ex-brewmaster for Orval.]* [https://www.uclouvain.be/cps/ucl/doc/inbr/documents/presentation-luk-daenen.pdf "Use of beta-glucosidase activity for flavour enhancement in specialty beers," slideshow by Luk Daenen.]