Impact of yeast strain and aging time on the secondary metabolites, macromolecule composition, and sensory attributes of sparkling wines elaborated by the traditional method

Abstract

The occurrence of aroma and macromolecule constituents in sparkling wines, directly influencing their organoleptic characteristics, is affected by several factors, including the grape cultivar, base-wine particularities, inoculated yeasts, the aging time, and winemaking practices [1]. This study reports the influence of yeast strain and aging time on the chemical profiles and sensory attributes of sparkling wines elaborated by the traditional method over a period of three and twelve months of contact with lees. Two commercial and four selected indigenous S. cerevisiae yeast strains were evaluated for their contribution to the correspondent sparkling wines regarding proteins, polysaccharides, and mannoproteins release, foam properties, and volatile composition. Triplicate fermentations were carried out under 13±1°C. HRSEC-RID-DAD was used for macromolecule quantification of the experimental wines, GC-MS was used to evaluate their volatile fraction while foamability and foam stability were determined by the Mosalux method [2-3]. Moreover, the sensory profiles obtained using different yeast strains for secondary fermentation were characterized through the descriptive sensory analysis method by evaluating ten visual, aroma, and in-mouth attributes from an internal trained panel of fifteen experienced judges (aged 25-60 years old) [3-4]. According to the results, autochthonous strains led to a greater release of polysaccharides, proteins, and mannoproteins after twelve months of aging, in comparison with the wines produced by commercial yeasts. Furthermore, the enrichment of the autochthonous ferments in these compounds promoted their foam characteristics, exhibiting the highest foamability and persistence of the foam collar. Data showed a key impact on the concentration of the volatile constituents (p < 0.05), depending on the type of inoculated yeast for the second in-bottle fermentation. The three native strains differed from the commercial ones presenting complex volatile profiles in the corresponding sparkling wines, due to the abundance of secondary metabolites after twelve months of aging, especially alcohols and esters. Regarding the sensory analysis results, important differences were observed between the aroma characteristics of wines from the different strains with the indigenous fermented wines exhibiting intense floral and toasty aromas, achieving higher sensory quality. The findings highlight the great potential of indigenous yeast strains to promote the physical, chemical, and sensorial properties of sparkling wines.

References

[1] Cotea, V. V., Focea, M. C., Luchian, C. E., Colibaba, L. C., Scutarașu, E. C., Marius, N., Zamfir, C. I., Popîrdă, A. (2021). Foods, 10(2), 247.

[2] Pons-Mercadé, P., Giménez, P., Vilomara, G., Conde, 744 M., Cantos, A., Rozès, N., Ferrer, S., Canals, J. M., Zamora, F. (2021). Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, 28(3), 347–357.

[3] Just-Borràs, A., Moroz, E., Giménez, P., Gombau, J., Ribé, E., Collado, A., Cabanillas, P., Marangon, M., Fort, F., Canals, J. M., Zamora, F. (2024). Current Research in Food Science, 8, 100768.

[4] Lola, D., Miliordos, D. E., Goulioti, E., Kontoudakis, N., Myrsti, E. D., Haroutounian, S. A., Kotseridis, Y. (2023). Food Research International, 174, 113649.