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Assimilable nitrogen utilisation and production of volatile and non-volatile compounds in chemically defined medium by Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeasts

  • Applied Microbial and Cell Physiology
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Abstract

Surveys conducted worldwide have shown that a significant proportion of grape musts are suboptimal for yeast nutrients, especially assimilable nitrogen. Nitrogen deficiencies are linked to slow and stuck fermentations and sulphidic off-flavour formation. Nitrogen supplementation of grape musts has become common practice; however, almost no information is available on the effects of nitrogen supplementation on wine flavour. In this study, the effect of ammonium supplementation of a synthetic medium over a wide range of nitrogen values on the production of volatile and non-volatile compounds by two high-nitrogen-demand wine fermentation strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was determined. To facilitate this investigation, a simplified chemically defined medium that resembles the nutrient composition of grape juice was used. Analysis of variance revealed that ammonium supplementation had significant effects on the concentration of residual sugar, L-malic acid, acetic acid and glycerol but not the ethanol concentration. While choice of yeast strain significantly affected half of the aroma compounds measured, nitrogen concentrations affected 23 compounds, including medium-chain alcohols and fatty acids and their esters. Principal component analysis showed that branched-chain fatty acids and their esters were associated with low nitrogen concentrations, whereas medium-chain fatty esters and acetic acid were associated with high nitrogen concentrations.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Paul Chambers for reviewing this manuscript. This work was financially supported by grant from Galicia Government (Xunta de Galicia, Spain) and by Australia’s grapegrowers and winemakers through their investment body, the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation, with matching funds from the Australian Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Misión Biológica de Galicia (CSIC), Aptdo. 28, 36080, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

    M. Vilanova

  2. Australian Wine Research Institute, P.O. Box 197, Glen Osmond, Adelaide, South Australia, 5064, Australia

    M. Vilanova, M. Ugliano, C. Varela, T. Siebert, I. S. Pretorius & P. A. Henschke

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  1. M. Vilanova
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  2. M. Ugliano
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  3. C. Varela
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  4. T. Siebert
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  6. P. A. Henschke
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Correspondence to P. A. Henschke.

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Vilanova, M., Ugliano, M., Varela, C. et al. Assimilable nitrogen utilisation and production of volatile and non-volatile compounds in chemically defined medium by Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeasts. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 77, 145–157 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-007-1145-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-007-1145-z

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