The effect of Saccharomyces bayanus-mediated fermentation on the chemical composition and aroma profile of Chardonnay wine

Abstract

The use of yeasts other than Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce wines with novel aroma and flavour profiles is gaining increased attention. The present study is concerned with the sensory impact on wine of fermentation with two selected Saccharomyces bayanus strains. The S. bayanus strains AWRI 1176 and AWRI 1375 were compared to S. cerevisiae strain AWRI 838 for their ability to affect the aroma profile and chemical composition of Chardonnay wine. Wines that were made with the S. bayanus strains contained more glycerol, succinic acid, acetaldehyde and SO2 than reference wines made with the S. cerevisiae wine yeast, but less acetic acid, malic acid and ethyl acetate. There were significant differences in the aroma profile of wines made with each yeast, as quantified by formal sensory descriptive analysis. Wines made with S. cerevisiae AWRI 838 were rated highly in the attributes ‘estery’, ‘pineapple’, ‘peach’ and ‘citrus’. Wines made with S. bayanus AWRI 1176 were rated lower than AWRI 838 in each of these attributes, but higher in the attributes ‘cooked orange peel’, ‘yeasty’, ‘nutty’ and ‘aldehyde’. The aroma profile of wine made using AWRI 1375 was different from that of wine made with the other yeasts, showing intermediate scores for the ‘estery’, ‘citrus’, ‘nutty’ and ‘aldehyde’ attributes, and no significant difference from the AWRI 838 strain in the attributes ‘pineapple’ and ‘peach’. These results demonstrate that, in addition to producing wine which has a different chemical composition, S. bayanus strains can produce a different sensory profile in wine when compared to a widely used S. cerevisiae wine yeast.