18 Dicembre 2023

Shaping the chromatic characteristics of red wines by using biofilm-detached cells of Starmerella bacillaris strains

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of 10 Starmerella bacillaris strains inoculated asplanktonic or biofilm-detached cells on the chromatic characteristics of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine. Wines inoculated with biofilm-detached cells of St. bacillaris were characterized by a highercontent of glycerol and viable yeast cells and a lower content of ethanol than those obtained with planktonic cells. Pyruvic acid content ranged from 45.99 mg/L to 48.19 mg/L and from 41.13 mg/L to 45.9 mg/L in wines fermented with biofilm-detached and planktonic cells, respectively. Winesobtained with biofilm-detached cells showed levels of anthocyanins ranging from 506.8 mg/L to 659.9 mg/L, while those fermented with free cells of St. bacillaris ranged from 518 mg/L to 612.6 mg/L. Similarly, the content of polyphenols was higher in wines inoculated with biofilm-detachedcells. The different amounts of these compounds resulted in differences in the wine’s color. Winesobtained with biofilm-detached cells of St. bacillaris had lower b* and h* values than thoseobtained with planktonic cells. These wines also showed higher a* values, indicating the presenceof a stronger red color than the others, and lower clarity (L*). Moreover, the data obtainedhighlighted that it is possible to predict the color of young wines from must measurements. Furtherstudies will be done to evaluate the role of other non-Saccharomyces yeasts, grown under differentaggregation states, in the definition of wine color.