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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Saccharomyces Yeasts I

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Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the microbiological aspects of saccharomyces yeasts in wine production. Yeasts, which play a central role in the winemaking process, are unicellular fungi that reproduce by budding. Most yeast belongs to the phylum Ascomycota on the basis of their sexual development. The selection of wine yeasts with specific genetic markers provides a system for the precise monitoring of the growth of particular strains during fermentation. Analyses of this type have shown that fermentation is driven mainly by inoculated yeasts, although these sometimes become only partially established. The growth of the natural flora is not completely suppressed during the initial days of vinification, these strains can make substantial contributions to certain properties of the wine. Consequently, there is increasing interest in the use of mixed starter cultures in which non-Saccharomyces yeasts contribute desirable characteristics—particularly in terms of the organoleptic quality of the wine—that complement the fermentative capacity of Saccharomyces yeasts.