Microbial Grape and Wine Spoilage

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2021) | Viewed by 10270

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Guest Editor
Departamento Recursos Naturais Ambiente e Território, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, University of Lisbon (UL), 1649-004 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: food microbiology and safety; food science; lactic acid bacteria; yeasts; fermentation; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; wine spoilage; food chemistry; food analysis; food quality
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The spoilage of wines by the activity of microorganisms has been a long discussed issue since the seminal work of Louis de Pasteur with acetic bacteria. Therefore, spoilage prevention has always been a major field of wine science.

Microbial agents of alteration include bacteria and yeasts able to proliferate in wines, but a broader view may be undertaken by including fungi that have the ability to change grapes in the vineyard and decrease wine quality indirectly. Preventive measures now include alternatives to sulphur dioxide driven by the growing market for sustainable and “green” products. Moreover, spoilage is presently a concern regarding health issues even if sensory characteristics are not affected.   

For this Special Issue, we would like to invite submissions that show what is being currently performed to understand and prevent the microbial metabolism and its deleterious effects on wine properties in all stages of wine production.

Original research and review papers are welcome under the following examples:

  • Microbial ecology of grape and wine spoilers from environment to the bottled product;
  • Spoiling effects of phytopathogenic and saprophyte molds in grapes;
  • Spoiling effects of bacteria and yeasts in grapes and in wines;
  • Resistance to conventional and new antimicrobials;
  • Preservation processes and technologies;
  • Health issues associated with microbial metabolites.
Dr. Manuel Malfeito-Ferreira
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • bacteria
  • moulds
  • yeasts
  • microbial metabolism
  • wine spoilers
  • grape rot
  • preservatives
  • antimicrobials
  • off-flavours

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1575 KiB  
Article
Wine Spoilage Control: Impact of Saccharomycin on Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Its Conjugated Effect with Sulfur Dioxide
by Patrícia Branco, Rute Coutinho, Manuel Malfeito-Ferreira, Catarina Prista and Helena Albergaria
Microorganisms 2021, 9(12), 2528; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9122528 - 07 Dec 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2534
Abstract
The yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis is one of the most dangerous wine contaminants due to the production of phenolic off-flavors such as 4-ethylphenol. This microbial hazard is regularly tackled by addition of sulfur dioxide (SO2). Nevertheless, B. bruxellensis is frequently found at [...] Read more.
The yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis is one of the most dangerous wine contaminants due to the production of phenolic off-flavors such as 4-ethylphenol. This microbial hazard is regularly tackled by addition of sulfur dioxide (SO2). Nevertheless, B. bruxellensis is frequently found at low levels (ca 103 cells/mL) in finished wines. Besides, consumers health concerns regarding the use of sulfur dioxide encouraged the search for alternative biocontrol measures. Recently, we found that Saccharomyces cerevisiae secretes a natural biocide (saccharomycin) that inhibits the growth of different B. bruxellensis strains during alcoholic fermentation. Here we investigated the ability of S. cerevisiae CCMI 885 to prevent B. bruxellensis ISA 2211 growth and 4-ethylphenol production in synthetic and true grape must fermentations. Results showed that B. bruxellensis growth and 4-ethylphenol production was significantly inhibited in both media, although the effect was more pronounced in synthetic grape must. The natural biocide was added to a simulated wine inoculated with 5 × 102 cells/mL of B. bruxellensis, which led to loss of culturability and viability (100% dead cells at day-12). The conjugated effect of saccharomycin with SO2 was evaluated in simulated wines at 10, 12, 13 and 14% (v/v) ethanol. Results showed that B. bruxellensis proliferation in wines at 13 and 14% (v/v) ethanol was completely prevented by addition of 1.0 mg/mL of saccharomycin with 25 mg/L of SO2, thus allowing to significantly reduce the SO2 levels commonly used in wines (150–200 mg/L). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Grape and Wine Spoilage)
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17 pages, 937 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Yeast Strains for Pomegranate Alcoholic Beverage Production: Effect on Physicochemical Characteristics, Antioxidant Activity, and Aroma Compounds
by Evangelos Kokkinomagoulos, Anastasios Nikolaou, Yiannis Kourkoutas and Panagiotis Kandylis
Microorganisms 2020, 8(10), 1583; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8101583 - 14 Oct 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3438
Abstract
In the present study, three commercial yeasts (for wine, beer, and cider) were evaluated for the production of pomegranate alcoholic beverage (PAB) from a juice of Wonderful variety. The physicochemical characteristics, antioxidant activity, and aromatic profiles of PABs were investigated before and after [...] Read more.
In the present study, three commercial yeasts (for wine, beer, and cider) were evaluated for the production of pomegranate alcoholic beverage (PAB) from a juice of Wonderful variety. The physicochemical characteristics, antioxidant activity, and aromatic profiles of PABs were investigated before and after fermentation, while the effect of yeast strain and fermentation temperature (15 and 25 °C) was also evaluated. The PABs contained ethanol in the ranges of 5.6–7.0% v/v, in combination with glycerol (2.65–6.05 g L−1), and low volatile acidity. Total flavonoid content, total phenolic content, free radical-scavenging activity, and total monomeric anthocyanin content appeared to decrease after fermentation, possibly due to hydrolysis, oxidation, and other reactions. In general, PABs retained 81–91% of free radical-scavenging activity, 29–41% of phenolics, 24–55% of flavonoids, and 66–75% of anthocyanins. The use of different yeast affected mainly flavonoids and anthocyanins, and yeast strain M02 resulted in the highest values after fermentation. In PABs, 30 different volatile compounds were identified, specifically 15 esters, 4 organic acids, 8 alcohols, and 3 terpenes. The principal component analysis showed that the fermentation temperature affected significantly volatile composition, whereas, among the yeasts, WB06 is the one that seems to differentiate. The findings of this study show that the selection of the appropriate yeast and fermentation temperature is very crucial and affects the characteristics of the final product. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Grape and Wine Spoilage)
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15 pages, 1532 KiB  
Article
Industrial Performance of Several Lachancea thermotolerans Strains for pH Control in White Wines from Warm Areas
by Cristian Vaquero, Iris Loira, María Antonia Bañuelos, José María Heras, Rafael Cuerda and Antonio Morata
Microorganisms 2020, 8(6), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8060830 - 01 Jun 2020
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3055
Abstract
In the current scenario of climatic warming, the over-ripening of grapes increases the sugar content, producing flat and alcoholic wines with low acidity, high pH and low freshness. Additionally, a high pH makes wines more chemically and microbiologically unstable, requiring a higher sulphite [...] Read more.
In the current scenario of climatic warming, the over-ripening of grapes increases the sugar content, producing flat and alcoholic wines with low acidity, high pH and low freshness. Additionally, a high pH makes wines more chemically and microbiologically unstable, requiring a higher sulphite content for preservation. Some strains of Lachancea thermotolerans can naturally lower the pH of wine by producing lactic acid from sugars; this pH reduction can reach 0.5 units. The industrial performance of four selected strains has been compared with that of two commercial strains and with that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The yeasts were assessed under variable oenological conditions, measuring lactic acid production and fermentative performance at two fermentation temperatures (17 and 27 °C), and in the presence or absence of sulphites (25 and 75 mg/L). Lactic acid production depends on yeast populations, with higher concentrations being reached when the microbial population is close to or above 7-log CFU/mL. A temperature effect on acidification can also be observed, being more intense at higher fermentation temperatures for most strains. Ethanol yield ranged from 7–11% vol., depending on the fermentation conditions (temperature and SO2) at day 12 of fermentation, compared with 12% for the S. cerevisiae control in micro-fermentations. The production of fermentative esters was higher at 27 °C compared with 17 °C, which favoured the production of higher alcohols. Volatile acidity was moderate under all fermentation conditions with values below 0.4 g/L. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Grape and Wine Spoilage)
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