Enhanced volatile phenols in wine fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and spoiled with Pichia guilliermondii and Dekkera bruxellensis.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: To investigate whether the presence of Pichia guilliermondii impacts on the production of volatile phenols from mixed wine fermentations with Dekkera bruxellensis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. METHODS AND RESULTS: Four inoculation strategies were performed in small-scale fermentations involving P. guilliermondii, D. bruxellensis and S. cerevisiae using Syrah grape juice supplemented with 100 mg l(-1) of p-coumaric acid. High pressure liquid chromatography was used for the quantification or volatile phenols. Significant high levels of 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaicol (720 and 545 microg l(-1), respectively), as well as the highest levels of 4-vinylphenol (>4500 microg l(-1)), were observed when P. guilliermondii species was inoculated from the beginning of the fermentation. CONCLUSIONS: The metabolic interaction occurring between the high vinylphenol producer species P. guilliermondii and D. bruxellensis exhibiting a high vinylphenol reductase activity resulted in an increased production of volatile phenols in wine. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY Pichia guilliermondii must be considered a very important spoilage yeast in the wine industry capable of producing large amounts of volatile phenols.