Japanese researchers find persimmon tannin helps certain yeast grow 8.9X better in ethanol

In Japan, a study by Osaka Metropolitan University found that persimmon tannin helps the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae grow 8.9 times better in ethanol, attributing this to the antioxidative properties of the tannin which reduce stress but do not protect cell membranes. The researchers explored persimmon tannin because it is known for its antioxidative properties.

“In this study, yeast cultures grown in a medium containing ethanol and persimmon tannin showed an 8.9-fold increase in cell number compared to cultures grown in an ethanol medium without persimmon tannin,” stated Professor Fujita.