Influence of nitrogen status on fermentation performances of non-Saccharomyces yeasts: a review

Abstract

Nitrogen, one of the most crucial nutrients present in grapes and musts, plays a key role in yeast activities during alcoholic fermentation. Such influences are imposed on yeast growth and fermentation performances including the formation of secondary metabolites. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the main yeast responsible for fermentation, has been studied extensively regarding nitrogen impacts. On the other hand, a similar study for non-Saccharomyces yeasts, whose contributions to winemaking have gradually been acknowledged, remains to be fully explored, with a few studies being reported. This review starts by discussing nitrogen impacts on non-Saccharomyces yeast growth and fermentation kinetics in different case scenarios, then proceeds to summarize the nitrogen preferences of individual yeast strains with regulation mechanisms elucidated by recent studies. Detailed discussions on the influences on the production of volatile compounds and proposed pathways therein are made, followed by future work suggested as the final section. In summarizing the nitrogen impacts on non-Saccharomyces yeasts throughout alcoholic fermentation, this review will be helpful in obtaining a more comprehensive view on these non-conventional wine yeasts in terms of nutrient requirements and corresponding volatile production. Research gaps will therefore be elucidated for future research.