Malolactic fermentation and its effects on wine quality and safety

Malolactic fermentation is an essential step in winemaking, resulting from the spontaneous growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the microbial ecosystem of grapes and wine. The first section of this chapter describes how LAB multiply and survive during winemaking, identifying the main biotic and abiotic factors in their development. The next sections describe the metabolic pathways during, and possibly after fermentation, highlighting the beneficial and detrimental transformations that affect wine quality. The final sections address some considerations on controlling malolactic fermentation, especially using malolactic starters.