Environmental factors influencing the efficacy of different yeast strains for alcohol level reduction in wine by respiration

We have recently shown that ethanol yields in winemaking can be reduced by taking advantage of the respiratory metabolism of some non-Saccharomyces yeast species. Using an orthogonal design we have now addressed the impact of three environmental factors (temperature, nitrogen source, and oxygen supply level) on the aerobic metabolism in synthetic must of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Kluyveromyces lactis, and Candida sake. An integrative parameter, Efficacy (efficacy for alcohol level reduction) was designed to simplify comparisons between strains or growth conditions. It integrates sugar consumption, ethanol yield, and acetic acid production data. We found a high relative impact of nitrogen source availability and temperature, as compared to aeration conditions, for several fermentation parameters, including ethanol yield. However, increasing oxygen supply showed a positive impact in terms of alcohol reduction and Efficacy for all the strains tested. The best results across assays were obtained for C. sake CBS 5093, with high sugar consumption rates, associated to low ethanol yields, and very low acetic acid production. Processes involving this yeast strain would benefit from high aeration levels and low nitrogen source availability; while fermentation temperatures would have little impact on its Efficacy for alcohol level reduction.

This work was supported by grants MINECOAGL2012-32064, INIARM2012-00007-00-00, and MINECO RTC-2014-2186-2 from the Spanish Government. A.J.R. is the recipient of a MINECO training contract, FPI; T.R. was the recipient of an Erasmus Program grant funded by the EU.

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