Microbial dynamics in industrial-scale wine fermentation employing Hanseniaspora uvarum β-glucosidase-producer strain

The use of non-Saccharomyces yeast strains in winemaking is becoming a common trend. In fact, consumers are demanding new and healthier styles of wine. On the other hand, these strains are a challenge for the starting process due to winery-resident strains, especially with regard to industrial-scale fermentations. Current assay focuses on the scale-up of the laboratorial inoculum inside the winery environment to ferment 15,000 and 25,000 L of Vitis labrusca Bordo must, using a Hanseniaspora uvarum beta-glucosidase-producer strain as starter culture. This scale-up could confirm the viability of using non-Saccharomyces yeast, as it presented promising results on a laboratory scale. The non-Saccharomyces strain was selected in a previous study since it proved to increase resveratrol concentration in lab scale winemaking. The yeast diversity was followed by the plate culturing method. Species identification and strain typing were determined by ITS-RFLP and PCR-fingerprinting, respectively. Physical and chemical analyses and resveratrol quantification were performed in the elaborated wines.

Automated summary

The use of non-Saccharomyces yeast strains in winemaking is gaining popularity as consumers demand new and healthier wine styles. However, scaling up these strains for industrial fermentation poses challenges. Current research focuses on expanding laboratory inoculations within winery environments to confirm viability and analyze resveratrol content in the final wines.