Tailoring wine yeast for the new millennium: novel approaches to the ancient art of winemaking

Abstract

Yeasts are predominant in the ancient and complex process of winemaking. In spontaneous fermentations, there is a progressive growth pattern of indigenous yeasts, with the final stages invariably being dominated by the alcohol-tolerant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This species is universally known as the 'wine yeast' and is widely preferred for initiating wine fermentations. The primary role of wine yeast is to catalyze the rapid, complete and efficient conversion of grape sugars to ethanol, carbon dioxide and other minor, but important, metabolites without the development of off-flavours. However, due to the demanding nature of modern winemaking practices and sophisticated wine markets, there is an ever-growing quest for specialized wine yeast strains possessing a wide range of optimized, improved or novel oenological properties. This review highlights the wealth of untapped indigenous yeasts with oenological potential, the complexity of wine yeasts' genetic features and the genetic techniques often used in strain development. The current status of genetically improved wine yeasts and potential targets for further strain development are outlined. In light of the limited knowledge of industrial wine yeasts' complex genomes and the daunting challenges to comply with strict statutory regulations and consumer demands regarding the future use of genetically modified strains, this review cautions against unrealistic expectations over the short term. However, the staggering potential advantages of improved wine yeasts to both the winemaker and consumer in the third millennium are pointed out.

Multistarter from Organic Viticulture for Red Wine Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Production

“…The higher ability of S . cerevisiae to withstand the stress conditions such as increasing ethanol, decreasing pH, nutrition depletion is generally considered to drive the wine yeast population dynamics (Pretorius, 2000). These selective pressures are currently questioned, whereas cell–cell interactions are being put forward as significant in affecting yeast succession (Ciani and Pepe, 2002; Fleet, 2003; Nissen et al, 2003).…”

Antimicrobial and Probiotic Properties of Yeasts: From Fundamental to Novel Applications

“…A wine starter culture such as S. cerevisiae is normally able to dominate native yeasts in the grape must during fermentation (Pretorius, 2000). Also, in the production of sparkling wine, Todd et al (2000) studied the behavior of two sensitive strains of S. cerevisiae in the presence of a mixture of two K2 killer toxin.…”

Designing wine yeast for the future

“…If we step back for a moment, to grasp how far and how fast we have come, the relationship between scientific discovery, technological advancement and progress in wine production reveals common themes dominating the past, present and future of wine (Borneman, Schmidt, & Pretorius, 2013;Chambers & Pretorius, 2010;Pretorius, 2000).…”

“…For example, a haploid laboratory strain (S288c) was the first eukaryote to have its genome sequenced, a feat achieved through a collaborative international effort involving more than 600 scientists under the able leadership of ce Figure 9.8 A schematic representation of the subcellular compartmentalisation of a wine yeast cell. Adapted from Pretorius (2000 Figure 9.9 A schematic representation of the cell cycle of a budding wine yeast cell. The structural organisation of the intracellular milieu, containing organelles such as the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and vacuoles, is maintained by a cytoskeleton.…”