Effect of aromatic precursor addition to wine fermentations carried out with different Saccharomyces species and their hybrids

Abstract

This work explores the ability of different yeast strains from different species of the genus Saccharomyces (S. cerevisiae, S. uvarum and S. kudriavzevii) and hybrids between these species to release or form varietal aroma compounds from fractions of grape odourless precursors. The de novo synthesis by the yeasts of some of the varietal aroma compounds was also evaluated. The study has shown that de novo synthesis affects some lipid derivatives, shikimic derivatives and terpenes in all species and hybrids, with some remarkable differences amongst them. The release or formation of aroma compounds from precursors was found to be strongly linked to the yeast or hybrid used, and the triple hybrid S. cerevisiae × S. bayanus × S. kudriavzevii in particular and secondarily the hybrid S. cerevisiae × S. bayanus were highly efficient in the production of most varietal aroma compounds, including γ-lactones, benzenoids, volatile phenols, vanillin derivatives and terpenols. The presence of precursors in the fermenting media caused a surprising levelling effect on the fermentative aroma composition. Altogether, these results suggest that it is possible to modulate wine aroma by employing different yeast species in order to create new wines with different aromatic notes.