The Yeast Torulaspora delbrueckii: An Interesting But Difficult-To-Use Tool for Winemaking

Torulaspora delbrueckii is probably the non-Saccharomyces yeast that is currently most used for winemaking. Multiple advantages have been claimed for it relative to conventional S. cerevisiae strains. However, many of these claimed advantages are based on results in different research studies that are contradictory or non-reproducible. The easiest way to explain these discrepancies is to attribute them to the possible differences in the behaviour of the different strains of this yeast that have been used in different investigations. There is much less knowledge of the physiology, genetics, and biotechnological properties of this yeast than of the conventional yeast S. cerevisiae. Therefore, it is possible that the different results that have been found in the literature are due to the variable or unpredictable behaviour of T. delbrueckii, which may depend on the environmental conditions during wine fermentation. The present review focusses on the analysis of this variable behaviour of T. delbrueckii in the elaboration of different wine types, with special emphasis on the latest proposals for industrial uses of this yeast.