Abstract
The inoculation of grape juice with Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains selected from indigenous yeast populations can be a suitable tool to control alcoholic fermentation, contributing to producing wines with typical flavor and aroma and, hence, the demand for native starter cultures is increasing. However, since low amounts of indigenous yeast biomasses are usually required for local winemaking, the industrial production of these yeasts can be expensive. Therefore, in this study, after selecting an indigenous S. cerevisiae strain based on relevant oenological and technological features, a pilot-plant for easy and rapid production of fresh yeast biomass directly in a winery located in Tuscany, was exploited. The selected yeast strain was used as a starter to carry out 25 and 100 hL fermentations and its enological performance was compared with that of the commercial starter normally used in the winery. Chemical and sensory analysis of the resulting wines showed that they differentiated according to the used yeast strain, with the wines produced by the indigenous S. cerevisiae strain being characterized by a distinctive aromatic and sensory profile. In conclusion, the pilot-plant effectively resulted in producing fresh yeast starter cultures in the winery to be successfully used to carry out alcoholic fermentations.
Highlights
In winemaking, the use of selected Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains as Active Dry Yeast (ADY) starter cultures instead of traditional spontaneous fermentations is the most diffused practice to attain a more effective management of the fermentative process [1,2,3]
Indigenous selected S. cerevisiae strains might be better adapted for the specific conditions of some alcoholic fermentations than commercial starters, contributing to the production of wines characterized by more typical flavor and aroma [2,4]
With the aim to recognize indigenous S. cerevisiae strains, the inter-δ patterns obtained were compared with the patterns of the commercial starter strains normally used in the winery to carry out alcoholic fermentations
Summary
The use of selected Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains as Active Dry Yeast (ADY) starter cultures instead of traditional spontaneous fermentations is the most diffused practice to attain a more effective management of the fermentative process [1,2,3]. One of the main disadvantages of using commercial starters is the wine taste evenness and the loss of the wine distinctive aroma [4,5,6]. Indigenous selected S. cerevisiae strains might be better adapted for the specific conditions of some alcoholic fermentations than commercial starters, contributing to the production of wines characterized by more typical flavor and aroma [2,4]. Over the last years, an increasing number of surveys have focused on microbial diversity associated with spontaneous grape must fermentations. These studies were aimed to select indigenous yeast strains, characterized by relevant technological properties, suitable to be used as starters in the industrial wine-making
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