Critical analysis of data concerning Saccharomyces cerevisiae free-cell proliferations and fermentations assisted by magnetic and electromagnetic fields

TL;DR

This paper critically reviews studies on magnetic and electromagnetic field effects on Saccharomyces cerevisiae, highlighting contradictory results and proposing a new concept of magnetically induced micro-dynamos to unify these findings.

Contribution

It offers a critical analysis of existing data and introduces the novel concept of magnetically induced micro-dynamos to explain diverse experimental outcomes.

Findings

Contradictory effects of magnetic fields on yeast growth and fermentation.

Magnetic fields can suppress or enhance cell proliferation and metabolite production.

Introduction of the micro-dynamo concept to unify disparate results.

Abstract

The review analyses studies on magnetically assisted proliferations and batch fermentations with Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts. The results available in the literature are contradictory and show two tendencies: magnetic field suppression of the cell growth and positive effects in batch fermentation with increasing both biomass and metabolite production. The amount of data analyzed allows several concepts existing in the literature to be outlined and critically commented. Further, a new concept of magnetically induced micro-dynamos, recently conceived, is developed towards a unified explanation of the results provided by proliferation and batch fermentation experiments