Abstract
Nowadays, the increasing interest in new market demand for alcoholic beverages has stimulated the research on useful strategies to reduce the ethanol content in beer. In this context, the use of non-Saccharomyces yeasts to produce low-alcohol or alcohol-free beer may provide an innovative approach for the beer market. In our study, four wild non-Saccharomyces yeasts, belonging to Torulaspora delbrueckii, Candida zemplinina and Zygosaccharomyces bailii species, were tested in mixed fermentation with a wild selected Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain as starters for fermentation of different commercial substrates used for production of different beer styles (Pilsner, Weizen and Amber) to evaluate the influence of the fermentative medium on starter behaviour. The results obtained showed the influence of non-Saccharomyces strains on the ethanol content and organoleptic quality of the final beers and a significant wort–starter interaction. In particular, each starter showed a different sugar utilization rate in each substrate, in consequence of uptake efficiency correlated to the strain-specific metabolic pathway and substrate composition. The most suitable mixed starter was P4-CZ3 (S. cerevisiae–C. zemplinina), which is a promising starter for the production of low-alcohol beers with pleasant organoleptic characteristics in all the tested fermentation media.
Highlights
In order to satisfy the new market demand for alcoholic beverages with low alcohol content, research has devoted attention toward useful strategies to reduce the ethanol content in alcoholic beverages such as beer
Rossi et al [33], analysing yeasts isolated from different fermented foods and beverages, found that baking yeasts yielded the best results during brewing trials
This study presents, for the first time, a screening of non-conventional yeasts with evaluation of aroma production and fermentative properties in three substrates based on different commercial malt extracts used for the production of different beer styles
Summary
In order to satisfy the new market demand for alcoholic beverages with low alcohol content, research has devoted attention toward useful strategies to reduce the ethanol content in alcoholic beverages such as beer These approaches can be divided into two main categories, physical and biological methods, which operate at two different points of the production process. The production of low-alcohol beers by the use of non-Saccharomyces yeasts is related to the limited ability of these yeasts to ferment wort sugars These yeasts are characterised by metabolic activities different from Saccharomyces, which can potentially introduce new flavours in these beers. Management of fermentation by using novel yeast starters represents the widest space in which the brewer can operate for beer diversification This is very attractive for the current beer market, which is seeking to extend their product portfolio to satisfy consumer demand, always looking for new styles of beer. In these production plants, changing the yeast is a feasible modification compared with the substantial equipment investment necessary for the application of physical methods for dealcoholisation
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