Truth in wine yeast

Abstract

Evolutionary history and early association with anthropogenic environments have made Saccharomyces cerevisiae the quintessential wine yeast. This species typically dominates any spontaneous wine fermentation and, until recently, virtually all commercially available wine starters belonged to this species. The Crabtree effect, and the ability to grow under fully anaerobic conditions, contribute decisively to their dominance in this environment. But not all strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are equally suitable as starter cultures. In this article, we review the physiological and genetic characteristics of S. cerevisiae wine strains, as well as the biotic and abiotic factors that have shaped them through evolution. Limited genetic diversity of this group of yeasts could be a constraint to solving the new challenges of oenology. However, research in this field has for many years been providing tools to increase this diversity, from genetic engineering and classical genetic tools to the inclusion of other yeast species in the catalogues of wine yeasts. On occasion, these less conventional species may contribute to the generation of interspecific hybrids with S. cerevisiae. Thus, our knowledge about wine strains of S. cerevisiae and other wine yeasts is constantly expanding. Over the last decades, wine yeast research has been a pillar for the modernisation of oenology, and we can be confident that yeast biotechnology will keep contributing to solving any challenges, such as climate change, that we may face in the future.

The Microbial Terroir of the Nemea Zone Agiorgitiko cv.: A First Metataxonomic Approach

“…decreased at the end of fermentation but was not eliminated, while the abundance of Saccharomyces increased. On the contrary, the yeast/fungal microbiota during CF is more stable compared to SF, as Saccharomyces dominates from the beginning to the end of the fermentation [61].…”

Molecular and Physiological Diversity of Indigenous Yeasts Isolated from Spontaneously Fermented Wine Wort from Ilfov County, Romania

“…More than that, it is associated with increasing the amount of different aromatic compounds (lactones, thiols, or terpenes) simultaneously with the decrease of higher alcohols [ 6 , 7 ]. Schizosaccharomyces pombe is another yeast species commercialized nowadays as starter culture for wine production, being associated with deacidifying activity through malo-alcoholic fermentation [ 8 , 9 ]. Medina et al [ 10 ] proved that sequential inoculation of S. cerevisiae starter culture and H. vineae strains produced relatively dry wines with increased aroma and flavour panel associated with higher concentrations of glycerol, acetyl, and ethyl esters.…”

Biotechnological Approaches to Lowering the Ethanol Yield during Wine Fermentation

“…Genetic improvement by random mutagenesis involves the artificial increase in mutation rates by treatment with physical or chemical agents (UV radiation, X-rays, ethyl methane sulfonate, nitrosoguanidine) coupled with a suitable selection strategy [ 27 ]. To be effective, the intensity of the treatments must be lethal for most of the cells in the population.…”

“…Adaptive laboratory evolution (also known as experimental evolution) consists of recreating in the laboratory, in an accelerated way, the natural selection process, promoting the selection of the mutations that are most useful to our purpose. This technique shares several features with random mutagenesis [ 27 ], including some limitations, such as that it cannot be easily targeted to specific genes, that dominant mutations are favoured, and the difficulties of connecting readily selectable phenotypes to technological traits. However, it also offers advantages, as the strains obtained in this way do not fall under GMO regulations.…”