Unique volatile chemical profiles produced by indigenous and commercial strains of Saccharomyces uvarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae during laboratory-scale Chardonnay fermentations

Abstract

Each wine growing region hosts unique communities of indigenous yeast species, which may enter fermentation and contribute to the final flavour profile of wines. One of these species, Saccharomyces uvarum, is typically described as a cryotolerant yeast that produces relatively high levels of glycerol and rose-scented volatile compounds as compared with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the main yeast in winemaking. Comparisons of fermentative and chemical properties between S. uvarum and S. cerevisiae at the species level are relatively common; however, a paucity of information has been collected on the potential variability present among S. uvarum strains. The objective of this study was to compare the fermentation kinetics and production of volatile compounds between indigenous and commercial Saccharomyces strains at different temperatures. We compared laboratory-scale fermentation of Chardonnay juice at 15 °C and 25 °C for 11 Saccharomyces yeast strains (six indigenous S. uvarum, one commercial S. uvarum, one indigenous S. cerevisiae and three commercial S. cerevisiae). Fermentation kinetics and the production of volatile compounds known to affect the organoleptic properties of wine were determined. The indigenous S. uvarum strains showed comparable kinetics to commercially sourced strains at both temperatures. Volatile compound production among the strains was more variable at 15 °C and resulted in unique chemical profiles at 15 °C as compared with 25 °C. Indigenous S. uvarum strains produced relatively high levels of 2-phenylethyl acetate and 2-phenylethanol, whereas these compounds were found at much lower levels in fermentations conducted by commercial strains of both S. cerevisiae and S. uvarum. Production of glycerol by indigenous S. uvarum strains did not differ from commercial strains in this study. Our findings demonstrate that indigenous strains of S. uvarum show functional variation among themselves. However, when compared with commercial S. cerevisiae and S. uvarum strains, they have comparable fermentation kinetics but unique volatile compound profiles, especially at low fermentation temperatures.