Improving the chemical and sensory characteristics of red and white wines with pectinase‐producing non‐Saccharomyces yeasts

This study examined the influence of pectinase-producing non-Saccharomyces yeasts on the chemical and sensory attributes of red and white wines with added pectin. Merlot and Chardonnay wines were produced with or without a mixture of pectinase-producing non-Saccharomyces yeasts (Cryptococcus adeliensis, Issatchenkia orientalis, and Pichia kluyveri) added to the must prior to alcoholic fermentation conducted by a commercial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To ensure sufficient substrate was present, varying concentrations of apple pectin (up to 1.25 g/L for red wines and 1.00 g/L for white wine) were added at the start of fermentation. After bottling, trained panelists (n = 10) analyzed these wines for aroma, flavor, taste, and mouthfeel attributes. For both wines, significant interactions were noted between the presence of non-Saccharomyces yeasts and pectin addition which affected pH, titratable acidity, and concentrations of D-galacturonic acid. While no significant sensory differences were observed among the red wines, limited changes were noted for white wines. However, a strong positive correlation was found between the D-galacturonic acid and buttery aroma for Chardonnay and with flavor for Merlot. Increasing D-galacturonic acid concentrations, through utilization of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, may improve the wine quality as a buttery aroma is often associated with high-quality Chardonnay. For both red and white wines, the utilization of these particular non-Saccharomyces yeasts significantly influenced chemical properties but yielded minor sensory changes without any faults. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: With the recent trend to reduce alcohol content in commercial wines, the interest in non-Saccharomyces yeasts has grown. This study showed that the addition of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, perhaps due to their pectinase activity, influenced the chemical characteristics of red and white wines with limited sensory differences, making these yeasts a useful tool for winemakers to modify wine properties.