Characterizing the Potential of the Non-Conventional Yeast Saccharomycodes ludwigii UTAD17 in Winemaking

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) Vol. 7; no. 11; p. 478
• Main Authors: Esteves, Marcos, Barbosa, Catarina, Vasconcelos, Isabel, Tavares, Maria João, Mendes-Faia, Arlete, Mira, Nuno Pereira, Mendes-Ferreira, Ana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23-10-2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Aroma compounds; Ethanol; Ethyl acetate; Fermentation; Flavor; Genomes; Glucose; Grapes; Inoculation; mixed-culture; Monoculture; Nitrogen; non-saccharomyces; Pure culture; Saccharomyces; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; saccharomycodes ludwigii; Starter cultures; Sugar; Wine; wine aroma; wine fermentation; Wineries & vineyards; Wines; Yeast; Yeasts; United States > US; mixed-culture; wine aroma; non-Saccharomyces; wine fermentation; Saccharomycodes ludwigii
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7110478

Non-
yeasts have received increased attention by researchers and winemakers, due to their particular contributions to the characteristics of wine. In this group,
is one of the less studied species. In the present study, a native
strain, UTAD17 isolated from the Douro wine region was characterized for relevant oenological traits. The genome of UTAD17 was recently sequenced. Its potential use in winemaking was further evaluated by conducting grape-juice fermentations, either in single or in mixed-cultures, with
, following two inoculation strategies (simultaneous and sequential). In a pure culture,
UTAD17 was able to ferment all sugars in a reasonable time without impairing the wine quality, producing low levels of acetic acid and ethyl acetate. The overall effects of
UTAD17 in a mixed-culture fermentation were highly dependent on the inoculation strategy which dictated the dominance of each yeast strain. Wines whose fermentation was governed by
i UTAD17 presented low levels of secondary aroma compounds and were chemically distinct from those fermented by
. Based on these results, a future use of this non-
yeast either in monoculture fermentations or as a co-starter culture with
for the production of wines with greater expression of the grape varietal character and with flavor diversity could be foreseen.