Starter cultures as biocontrol strategy to prevent Brettanomyces bruxellensis proliferation in wine

Abstract

Brettanomyces bruxellensis is a common and significant wine spoilage microorganism. B. bruxellensis strains generally detain the molecular basis to produce compounds that are detrimental for the organoleptic quality of the wine, including some classes of volatile phenols that derive from the sequential bioconversion of specific hydroxycinnamic acids such as ferulate and p-coumarate. Although B. bruxellensis can be detected at any stage of the winemaking process, it is typically isolated at the end of the alcoholic fermentation (AF), before the staring of the spontaneous malolactic fermentation (MLF) or during barrel aging. For this reason, the endemic diffusion of B. bruxellensis leads to consistent economic losses in the wine industry. Considering the interest in reducing sulfur dioxide use during winemaking, in recent years, biological alternatives, such as the use of tailored selected yeast and bacterial strains inoculated to promote AF and MLF, are actively sought as biocontrol agents to avoid the “Bretta” character in wines. Here, we review the importance of dedicated characterization and selection of starter cultures for AF and MLF in wine, in order to reduce or prevent both growth of B. bruxellensis and its production of volatile phenols in the matrix.

The Sensory Quality Improvement of Citrus Wine through Co-Fermentations with Selected Non-Saccharomyces Yeast Strains and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

“…In addition, biocontrol strategies for the limitation of undesired microbial growth in foods and beverages by the application of non-Saccharomyces yeasts have been highlighted in recent years [66,67]. Berbegal et al [68] reported that the use of a mixed starter of different strains of S. cerevisiae or a mix of specific strains of non-Saccharomyces yeast with S. cerevisiae are efficient strategies in the control of the spoilage yeast like Brettanomyces bruxellensis and the volatile phenols' production in wine. Interestingly, the inoculation of different non-Saccharomyces and the inoculation time of the non-Saccharomyces yeast with respect to S. cerevisiae resources (co-inoculated and sequentially inoculated) influence the composition of the connected malolactic fermentation consortia, modulating malolactic fermentation performance [69].…”

Challenges of the Non-Conventional Yeast Wickerhamomyces anomalus in Winemaking

“…In the oenological environment, W. anomalus killer toxins are mainly tested against the prevailing wine spoilage microorganism Dekkera/Brettanomyces [8,65]. Nevertheless, the …”

“…In the oenological environment, W. anomalus killer toxins are mainly tested against the prevailing wine spoilage microorganism Dekkera/Brettanomyces [8,65]. Nevertheless, the antimicrobial activity of W. anomalus towards other minor yeast species present during the early stages of grape fermentation such as P. guilliermondii or P. membranifaciens has also been reported [66,67].…”

“…Nowadays, the role of non-Saccharomyces has been re-evaluated, and it is widely accepted that selected strains can positively influence the winemaking process [2]. Beyond the contribution of non-Saccharomyces yeasts to wine aroma complexity [3], these yeasts can help address some of the modern challenges in winemaking, including the reduction of the ethanol content of wine [4][5][6][7] or the control of wine spoilage [8,9].…”

Anti-Contamination Strategies for Yeast Fermentations

“…Because of this, D. bruxellensis is considered to be the only causative agent of phenolic off-odor and off-flavor production in wine fermentations [31,32]. D. bruxellensis can metabolize free-form hydroxycinnamic acids (p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid) [33]. P-coumaric acid is converted to 4-ethylphenol, a volatile phenol, and unpleasant aromas occur as the concentration of 4-ethylphenol increases [34,35].…”