Influence of Non-Saccharomyces Strains on Chemical Characteristics and Sensory Quality of Fruit Spirit.

Fatjona Fejzullahu,Zsuzsanna Kiss,Szilárd Kun,Gabriella Kun-Farkas

doi:10.3390/foods10061336

Fatjona Fejzullahu, Zsuzsanna Kiss + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10061336

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Abstract

The use of non-Saccharomyces yeasts for alcoholic beverage improvement and diversification has gained considerable attention in recent years. The effect of pure and mixed inocula (of Torulaspora delbrueckii, Lachancea thermotolerans, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on apple mash fermentation has been determined for the production of Hungarian fruit spirit (Pálinka), with a special emphasis on the chemical, volatile, and sensory attributes. The enological parameters were followed during the fermentation process. Sugar consumption and organic acid production were determined by HPLC, whereas the aromatic profile of the distillates was characterized by GC-FID. According to the results, single and mixed cultures showed similar characteristics during mash fermentation. The identified volatile compounds included aldehydes, esters, and higher alcohols. Mixed culture fermentation trials revealed a significantly higher concentration of volatile compounds and better sensorial attributes compared to those exhibited by the pure culture of S. cerevisiae.

Highlights

Alcoholic fermentation is a complex biochemical process performed by yeasts that utilize sugars and other constituents as substrates for their metabolism, converting these to ethanol, carbon dioxide, and other metabolic byproducts that contribute to the chemical composition and quality of the beverage [1]
Studies have shown that non-Saccharomyces are the most prevalent yeast genera in the first stages of spontaneous and inoculated fermentation, while S. cerevisiae strains are dominant during the latter stages [2,3]
According to Nissen et al [4], the early growth arrest of non-Saccharomyces yeasts (L. thermotolerans and T. delbrueckii) is not due to the presence of ethanol or other toxic compounds, but it seems to be triggered by a cell–cell contact mechanism dependent on the presence of viable S. cerevisiae cells at high concentrations

Summary

Introduction

Alcoholic fermentation is a complex biochemical process performed by yeasts that utilize sugars and other constituents as substrates for their metabolism, converting these to ethanol, carbon dioxide, and other metabolic byproducts that contribute to the chemical composition and quality of the beverage [1]. Studies have shown that non-Saccharomyces are the most prevalent yeast genera in the first stages of spontaneous and inoculated fermentation, while S. cerevisiae strains are dominant during the latter stages [2,3]. According to Nissen et al [4], the early growth arrest of non-Saccharomyces yeasts (L. thermotolerans and T. delbrueckii) is not due to the presence of ethanol or other toxic compounds, but it seems to be triggered by a cell–cell contact mechanism dependent on the presence of viable S. cerevisiae cells at high concentrations. Earlier studies considered non-Saccharomyces yeasts as ‘wild’ or ‘spoilage’ yeasts because they were often isolated from stuck or sluggish fermentations, or wines with anomalous analytical and sensorial profiles. The total suppression of indigenous non-Saccharomyces species can diminish the aroma complexity of the final beverage

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