Nitrogen availability and utilization by Saccharomyces cerevisiae significantly influence fermentation kinetics and the production of volatile compounds important for wine aroma. Amino acids are the most important nitrogen source and have been classified based on how well they support growth. This study evaluated the effect of single amino acids on growth kinetics and major volatile production of two phenotypically different commercial wine yeast strains in synthetic grape must. Four growth parameters, lag phase, maximum growth rate, total biomass formation and time to complete fermentation were evaluated. In contrast with previous findings, in fermentative conditions, phenylalanine and valine supported growth well and asparagine supported it poorly. The four parameters showed good correlations for most amino acid treatments, with some notable exceptions. Single amino acid treatments resulted in the predictable production of aromatic compounds, with a linear correlation between amino acid concentration and the concentration of aromatic compounds that are directly derived from these amino acids. With the increased complexity of nitrogen sources, linear correlations were lost and aroma production became unpredictable. However, even in complex medium minor changes in amino acid concentration continued to directly impact the formation of aromatic compounds, suggesting that the relative concentration of individual amino acids remains a predictor of aromatic outputs, independently of the complexity of metabolic interactions between carbon and nitrogen metabolism and between amino acid degradation and utilization pathways.

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Serra da Estrela cheese is an artisanal cheese manufactured from raw ewe's milk coagulated with Cynara cardunculus; it is highly appreciated for its unique flavor and bouquet. This research effort focused on a search for the molecules responsible for those organoleptic characteristics. Eighty cheeses manufactured in 4 dairies located in the Appelation d'Origine Protegee region of Serra da Estrela, Portugal, were thus assayed for volatiles, in an attempt to characterize their odorous profile. Cheeses were analyzed from the time of manufacture up to 180 d of ripening. The volatile fraction was assayed by solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy, and several compounds belonging to different chemical groups (e.g., fatty acids, esters, carbonyl compounds, pyrazines, and sulfur compounds) were detected in that traditional cheese. Among these, free fatty acids (FFA) were quantitatively the dominant family present. Furthermore, sensory descriptors for the typical aroma of this cheese included acidic, sweaty, and sheepy-like. Acetic, isobutyric, and isovaleric acids increased in concentration during the ripening process up to 90 d, and remained constant thereafter. Preliminary sensory analysis was performed by addition of the major FFA to an unripened cheese matrix; results showed that they could successfully be used as ripening indicators for this cheese. Such key molecules may thus be used to monitor ripening, and hence find the optimal consumption time for this gourmet dairy product.

In this work, in vitro antioxidant activity of two Brazilian red seaweeds, Gracilaria birdiae and Gracilaria cornea, was characterized. The total phenolic content, the radical-scavenging activity and the antioxidant activity were determined in two solvent extracts of the algae. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) allowed identification of important antioxidant compounds. The ethanol extract of G. birdiae was found to have the highest value of total phenolic content: 1.13 mg of gallic acid equiv (GAE)/g of extract. The radical-scavenging activity of G. birdiae and G. cornea extracts has been evaluated at different extract concentrations; the IC(50) values of ethanolic extracts of G. cornea and G. birdiae were 0.77 and 0.76 mg mL(-1), respectively, while for methanolic extracts, the IC(50) values of G. cornea and G. birdiae were 0.86 and 0.76 mg mL(-1), respectively. The antioxidant activities of these two seaweeds' extracts as assessed by the β-carotene-linoleic acid assay were equally high, achieving values of β-carotene oxidation inhibition of up to 40%. Finally, in the methanolic extracts, LC-MS/MS allowed identification in both algae of two important antioxidants: apigenin and gallic acid.