Bio-Protection as an Alternative to Sulphites: Impact on Chemical and Microbial Characteristics of Red Wines

• Published in: Frontiers in microbiology Vol. 11; p. 1308
• Main Authors: Simonin, Scott, Roullier-Gall, Chloé, Ballester, Jordi, Schmitt-Kopplin, Philippe, Quintanilla-Casas, Beatriz, Vichi, Stefania, Peyron, Dominique, Alexandre, Hervé, Tourdot-Maréchal, Raphaëlle
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media 16.06.2020; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Biotechnology; Food and Nutrition; Life Sciences; metabolomic; Metschnikowia pulcherrima; phenolic and volatile compounds; sulphites; wine bio-protection; sulphites; Metschnikowia pulcherrima; metabolomic; phenolic and volatile compounds; wine bio-protection
• ISSN: 1664-302X; 1664-302X
• DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01308

In wine, one method of limiting the addition of sulphites, a harmful and allergenic agent, is bio-protection. This practice consists of the early addition of microorganisms on grape must before fermentation. Non-Saccharomyces yeasts have been proposed as an interesting alternative to sulphite addition. However, scientific data proving the effectiveness of bio-protection remains sparse. This study provides the first analysis of the chemical and microbiological effects of a Metschnikowia pulcherrima strain inoculated at the beginning of the red winemaking process in three wineries as an alternative to sulphiting. Like sulphiting, bio-protection effectively limited the growth of spoilage microbiota and had no influence on the phenolic compounds protecting musts and wine from oxidation. The bio-protection had no effect on the volatile compounds and the sensory differences were dependent on the experimental sites. However, a non-targeted metabolomic analysis by FTICR-MS highlighted a bio-protection signature.