Organic cultivation of grape affects yeast succession and wine sensory quality during spontaneous fermentation

Abstract

Having more information on yeast ecology during fermentation process is important for producing wine with typical characteristics. Till now, it is unclear how agricultural practices of grape influence yeast succession and wine quality. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was implemented to study yeast succession during spontaneous fermentation of grapes from both organic and conventional agricultural systems. Basic physicochemical parameters and sensory quality of wine samples were also examined. Results showed a total of 18 yeast genera (including 36 species) were identified, and these two kinds of samples differed a lot in yeast community compositions and succession. Hanseniaspora and Saccharomyces were the top two dominant genera, between which Hanseniaspora was superior at the beginning while the relative abundance of Saccharomyces boomed during fermentation and reached 99.96 ± 0.005% (organic) and 79.94 ± 7.76% (conventional) ultimately. Some species which were rare in vine and wine also emerged in this work. Yeast alpha diversity of organic sample fell more sharply than that of conventional sample during fermentation. Besides, organic sample had advantages in fermentation speed and wine sensory quality. This study enhanced our knowledge about yeast ecology during spontaneous fermentation of wine and demonstrated the influence of viticultural practices on yeast succession and wine quality.