Study of oxygen in wines with different proportions of yeast lees

Abstract

The lees produced during fermentation are known for their ability to consume oxygen. During wine aging, it has a positive effect on the antioxidant and sensory properties of wine. This study focuses on the effects of different doses of fermentation lees on the oxygen consumption and antioxidant activity of wine, which are important for the quality of the final product as well as consumer. The effect on oxygen consumption after bottling, antioxidant activity and phenolic composition was studied for wines of the variety Grüner Veltliner with different proportions of yeast lees. The rate of dissolved oxygen consumption increased with increasing dosages of fermentation lees. The first significant decrease was observed as early as the second day after bottling for all variants above 20 g of fermentation lees in 0.75 L of wine. Total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity also increased with the dose of yeast lees. The major negative parameter for the highest addition of lees was the concentration of volatile acids, which increased from a baseline value of 0.34 g L–1 to 0.45 g L–1.