La fermentation malolactique dans les vins de base de cognac : Une étape peu suivie mais très fréquente

Article de revue professionnelleLes données sur la fermentation malolactique (FML) des vins de base de cognac (VDB) sont aujourd’hui encore très fragmentaires et rares. Son effet sur la qualité des eaux-de-vie est flou. Le seul fait bien établi est la diminution de la teneur en éthanal. On ignore sa fréquence, car les vins ne sont pas analysés pour la contrôler ; mais généralement on admet qu’elle est inhabituelle. Pourtant elle peut se dérouler rapidement après la fermentation alcoolique, ou jamais. Dans ce travail, les populations de levures et de bactéries indigènes ont été étudiées depuis le début de la vinification jusqu’à la distillation du VDB. Les dynamiques sont différentes selon les chais et les pratiques mises en œuvre pour les fermentations alcooliques. Le fait marquant et inattendu est que la FML s’est achevée dans la majorité des cas, malgré les conditions très variables des chais. Par ailleurs, cette étude fournit des données sur les cinétiques fermentaires, sur les espèces microbiennes (levures et bactéries). Des souches d’O. oeni ont été typées. Ces résultats démontrent l’intérêt d’une étude approfondie de la FML et de son impact sur le cognac

New Precursor of 3-Mercaptohexan-1-ol in Grape Juice: Thiol-Forming Potential and Kinetics during Early Stages of Must Fermentation

Two volatile thiols, 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol (3MH) and 3-mercaptohexyl acetate (3MHA), are key aroma impact compounds in many young white wines, especially of the variety Sauvignon blanc (SB). Although great effort has been invested to identify their precursors in recent years, the origin of the majority of 3MH and 3MHA generated during wine fermentation still cannot be explained. Here we demonstrate that supplying an external source of hydrogen sulfide to grape juice hugely increases its thiol-forming potential. We further describe the discovery of (E)-2-hexen-1-ol as an additional new thiol precursor and demonstrate that it possesses, together with (E)-2-hexenal, an immense thiol-forming potential during fermentation. Both C6-compounds are extremely rapidly metabolized by yeast during the first hours after inoculation, even under commercial conditions, and can be interconverted during this phase depending on their initial concentration in the grape juice. Spiking grape juice with additional acetaldehyde greatly enhanced the (E)-2-hexen-1-ol to (E)-2-hexenal conversion rate. Delaying the metabolization of the two unsaturated C6-thiol precursors by yeast, at the same time as increasing hydrogen sulfide production early in fermentation, opens up a great opportunity to tap into this enormous potential 3MH and 3MHA source in grape juice and extends the possibility of thiol production to other non-grape-based alcoholic beverages as well

Use of inulinases to improve fermentable carbohydrate recovery during tequila production

International audienceFor tequila production, blue agave heads are cooked to hydrolyse their fructan content and release fermentable carbohydrates. However, this hydrolysis is not complete and the juice generated during cooking (cooking honey) contains fructans incompletely hydrolysed. Several distilleries perform an additional acidic hydrolysis on honey to improve fermentable carbohydrate recovery, but this treatment presents many disadvantages. As an alternative, we describe an enzymatic treatment with Fructozyme L, a preparation of inulinases. Optimal laboratory conditions for agave fructan hydrolysis using this preparation were 60 degrees C and a pH of 4.0-5.0. A concentration of 0.02% (V/V of honey) was needed to achieve more than 90% of fructan hydrolysis in the honey, after a 12 h treatment. These conditions were validated by two industrial trials during which enzymatic hydrolysates were successfully fermented and distilled, and volatile compound composition and sensory qualities of the tequila were assured. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

FEMS Yeast Res

The yeast Candida zemplinina (Starmerella bacillaris) is frequently isolated from grape and wine environments. Its enological use in mixed fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been extensively investigated these last few years, and several interesting features including low ethanol production, fructophily, glycerol and other metabolites production, have been described. In addition, molecular tools allowing the characterization of yeast populations have been developed, both at the inter- and intraspecific levels. However, most of these fingerprinting methods are not compatible with population genetics or ecological studies. In this work, we developed 10 microsatellite markers for the C. zemplinina species that were used for the genotyping of 163 strains from nature or various enological regions (28 vineyards/wineries from seven countries). We show that the genetic diversity of C. zemplinina is shaped by geographical localization. Populations isolated from winemaking environments are quite diverse at the genetic level: neither clonal-like behaviour nor specific genetic signature were associated with the different vineyards/wineries. Altogether, these results suggest that C. zemplinina is not under selective pressure in winemaking environments

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

Non-Saccharomyces (NS) species that are either naturally present in grape must or added in mixed fermentation with S. cerevisiae may impact the wine's chemical composition and sensory properties. NS yeasts are prevailing during prefermentation and early stages of alcoholic fermentation. However, obtaining the correct balance between S. cerevisiae and NS species is still a critical issue: if S. cerevisiae outcompetes the non-Saccharomyces, it may minimize their impact, while conversely if NS take over S. cerevisiae, it may result in stuck or sluggish fermentations. Here, we propose an original strategy to promote the non-Saccharomyces consortium during the prefermentation stage while securing fermentation completion: the use of a long lag phase S. cerevisiae. Various fermentations in a Sauvignon Blanc with near isogenic S. cerevisiae displaying short or long lag phase were compared. Fermentations were performed with or without a consortium of five non-Saccharomyces yeasts (Hanseniaspora uvarum, Candida zemplinina, Metschnikowia spp., Torulaspora delbrueckii, and Pichia kluyveri), mimicking the composition of natural NS community in grape must. The sensorial analysis highlighted the positive impact of the long lag phase on the wine fruitiness and complexity. Surprisingly, the presence of NS modified only marginally the wine composition but significantly impacted the lag phase of S. cerevisiae. The underlying mechanisms are still unclear, but it is the first time that a study suggests that the wine composition can be affected by the lag phase duration per se. Further experiments should address the suitability of the use of long lag phase S. cerevisiae in winemaking