Abstract
It is well established that non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts, considered in the past as undesired or spoilage yeasts, can enhance the analytical composition, and aroma profile of the wine. The contribution of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, including the ability to secret enzymes and produce secondary metabolites, glycerol and ethanol, release of mannoproteins or contributions to color stability, is species- and strain-specific, pointing out the key importance of a clever strain selection. The use of mixed starters of selected non-Saccharomyces yeasts with strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae represents an alternative to both spontaneous and inoculated wine fermentations, taking advantage of the potential positive role that non-Saccharomyces wine yeast species play in the organoleptic characteristics of wine. In this context mixed starters can meet the growing demand for new and improved wine yeast strains adapted to different types and styles of wine. With the aim of presenting old and new evidences on the potential of non-Saccharomyces yeasts to address this market trend, we mainly review the studies focused on non-Saccharomyces strain selection and design of mixed starters directed to improve primary and secondary aroma of wines. The ability of non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts to produce enzymes and metabolites of oenological relevance is also discussed.
Highlights
Wine fermentation is a complex microbiological process in which yeasts play a fundamental role
It is worthwhile to note that the world’s best quality wines are produced after a fermentation process in which, in a greater or lesser extent, various species of nonSaccharomyces yeasts have played a role in the winemaking process and, have contributed to the final result. It is in this context where the inclusion of non-Saccharomyces wine yeast species as part of mixed starters together with S. cerevisiae to improve wine quality was suggested as a way of taking advantage of spontaneous fermentations without running the risks of stuck fermentations or wine spoilage (Jolly et al, 2003; Rojas et al, 2003; Romano et al, 2003; Ciani et al, 2006)
The first mixed starters based on non-Saccharomyces yeasts able to produce β-Dglucosidase activity were described for Debaryomyces vanriji and D. pseudopolymorphus (García et al, 2002; CorderoOtero et al, 2003), and later on for Candida pulcherrima (Rodríguez et al, 2010a) and T. delbrueckii (Cus and Jenko, 2013)
Summary
Wine fermentation is a complex microbiological process in which yeasts play a fundamental role. It is in this context where the inclusion of non-Saccharomyces wine yeast species as part of mixed starters together with S. cerevisiae to improve wine quality was suggested as a way of taking advantage of spontaneous fermentations without running the risks of stuck fermentations or wine spoilage (Jolly et al, 2003; Rojas et al, 2003; Romano et al, 2003; Ciani et al, 2006) This practice is linked to new challenges for researchers and oenologists such as the selection of suitable non-Saccharomyces strains, the appropriate modality and time of inoculation, the proportion of yeasts in the culture and the potential microorganism interactions, among others. Non-Saccharomyces yeasts can influence both the primary and secondary aroma through the production of enzymes and metabolites, respectively
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