Macrowine 2021
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Nitrogen – Lipid Balance in alcoholic fermentations. Example of Champagne musts

Nitrogen – Lipid Balance in alcoholic fermentations. Example of Champagne musts

Abstract

Nutrient availability – nitrogen, lipids, vitamins or oxygen – has a major impact on the kinetics of winemaking fermentations. Nitrogen is usually the growth-limiting nutrient and its availability determines the fermentation rate, and therefore the fermentation duration. In some cases, in particular in Champagne, grape musts have high nitrogen concentrations and are sometimes clarified with turbidity below 50 NTU. In these conditions, lipid deficiencies may occur and longer fermentations can be observed. To better understand this situation, a study was realized using a synthetic medium simulating the composition of a Champagne must : 180 g/L of sugar, 360 mg/L of assimilable nitrogen and a lipid content ranging from 1 to 8 mg/L of phytosterols (mainly β-sitosterol). The initial phytosterol concentration determined the amount of consumed nitrogen and therefore the population reached in stationary phase and the maximal fermentation rate. An early loss of viability was observed when lipid concentrations were very low. For example, for an initial phytosterol concentration of 1 mg/L, the viability continuously decreased during the stationary phase and its final value was only 50%. In some fermentations, 10 mg/L oxygen were added at the end of the growth phase, to combine the effects of phytosterols from the musts and the de novo synthesis of ergosterol and unsaturated fatty acids. Oxygen additions highly improved the fermentation kinetics of media with low phytosterol contents. For example, in the medium containing 2 mg/L of phytosterol, the maximum fermentation rate was increased by 45 % and the fermentation time was 70 hours shorter. In the case of media containing 3, 5 and 8 mg/L of phytosterols, the assimilable nitrogen was completely exhausted and the fermentation kinetics as well as the final populations and viabilities (higher than 90%) were identical for the 3 conditions. Impacts of lipid content and oxygen addition on acetate and glycerol synthesis were also quantified. Acetate production was lower for high phytosterol concentrations whereas, in extreme phytosterol deficient musts, oxygenation resulted in a significant increase of both acetate and glycerol synthesis. Similar results were obtained with natural musts containing different amounts of solids. Consequently, this study points out the importance of controlling the nitrogen – lipid balance, especially in nitrogen-rich musts like in Champagne, and also the interest of combining a sufficient initial turbidity with an optimized oxygenation.

Publication date: May 17, 2024

Issue: Macrowine 2016

Type: Article

Authors

Thomas Ochando*, Jean-Marie Sablayrolles, Jean-Roch Mouret, Vincent Farines

*INRA (UMR SPO)

Contact the author

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Macrowine | Macrowine 2016

Citation

Related articles…

Influence of preflowering basal leaf removal on aromatic composition of cv. Tempranillo wine from semiarid climate (Extremadura Western Spain)

Abstract In this work the effects of early leaf removal performed manually at preflowering phenological stage, on the volatile composition of Tempranillo (Vitis vinifera L.) wines were studied. From 2009-2011 vintages 34 wine volatile compounds were identified and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) where early leaf removal only modified 25 of them. The total C6 compounds, acetates and volatiles acids (with exception of isobutyric acid) were affected by defoliation, whereas alcohols and esters showed a minor effect. Furthermore the vintage effect also was shown.

Micro-meteorological, compositional and transcriptional study of corvina grape color during ripening

Grape anthocyanin content and composition could affect the quality and the production strategies of red wines. Differences in the pigment composition modify the color properties in terms of hue, extractability and stability. Thus, for the production of a highly qualitative wine such as “Amarone”, variations in the pigment composition are not negligible. The aim of this work was the investigation of the anthocyanin profile changes during ripening in Corvina grapes, the main cultivar for the “Amarone” production. The experiment took place in 2015, in two vineyards located in Valpollicella (Italy).

Reaction Mechanisms of Copper and Iron with Hydrogen Sulfide and Thiols in Model Wine

Fermentation derived sulfidic off-odors due to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and low molecular weight thiols are commonly encountered in wine production and removed by Cu(II) fining. However, the mechanism underlying Cu(II) fining remains poorly understood, and generally results in increased Cu concentration that lead to deleterious reactions in finished wine. The present study describes a mechanistic investigation of the iron and copper mediated reaction of H2S, cysteine, 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol, and 6-sulfanylhexan-1-ol with oxygen. The concentrations of H2S, thiols, oxygen, and acetaldehyde were monitored over time. It was found that Cu(II) was rapidly reduced by both H2S and thiols to Cu(I).

Interest and impact of PVP/PVI (Polyvinylpyrrolidone/ Polyvinylimidazole) on winemaking and final quality of wines

Céline Sparrow a, Christophe Morge a, a SOFRALAB SAS, 79, av. A.A. Thévenet – CS 11031 – 51530 Magenta, France Consumers’ health and security force authorities to limit, in wine as in others food industry products, the concentration in « dangerous » molecules. Therefore the legal limit in heavy metals keeps on decreasing. As per proof EU regulation just decrease the stain concentration in wine from 0,2 to 0,15 mg/l. Certain changes , such as sodium arsenite treatment in vines, disappearance of brass in wineries to the benefit of stainless steel, limit even more the concentration of heavy metals in wines. But the use of copper derivates in vines treatments is difficult to replace. In the case of wine and its elaboration, the problem is even more complex. Indeed, regulation forces the wine producers to control the concentration of certain heavy metals in final wines.

The impact of different yeasts and harvest time on the wine quality of Beihong and Beimei (<I>V. vinifera x V. amurensis</I>)

Beihong and Beimei are two wine cultivars from ‘Muscat Hamberg’ (V. vinifera L.) and wild V. amurensis Rupr., which were released in China in 2008. Here,two enology practices were reported. Firstly, the impact of different yeasts including D254, GRE, K1, D21 and BDX on dry wine quality of Beihong and Beimei was investigated. For Beihong, among wines fermented by all yeasts, residual sugar content was the lowest, total anthocyanin and resveratrol contents were the highest in the wine by D254. However, the wine by D254 had lower titrable acid than those by the other yeasts except BDX.