Effect of Torulaspora delbrueckii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts on the phenolic content and sensory attributes of Chenin Blanc wines

Abstract

Wines contain a number of phenolic compounds, belonging to non-flavonoid and flavonoid complexes. Phenolic compounds in wine are responsible for wine colour, astringency, and bitterness. Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast is normally used in winemaking but it has been proved to decrease the phenolic content in wines. Current research on the use of non-Saccharomyces yeast in winemaking has produced better quality wines than S. cerevisiae yeast therefore improving the sensory profile of wine. This study evaluated effect of Torulaspora delbrueckii yeast on the phenolic content of experimental wines derived from Chenin blanc grapes. A reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method was used for the identification and quantitation of the phenolic compounds. The difference test method was used to determine the sensory attributes of wines. The data was subjected to analysis of variance to compare treatment differences between the wines and principal component analysis to establish possible correlation between the data sets. Furthermore, a gas chromatographic-flame ionization detection method (GC-FID) was used for the quantification of volatile compounds in the wines. In this work, wines made with T. delbrueckii strain M2/1 had high concentration of (+)-catechin, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid in all studied vintages. Wines made with VIN13 had higher concentrations of flavan-3-ols, compared to wines made with M2/1 and 654. In sensory evaluation, M2/1 wines were prominent in astringency and complexity. Yeast strain M2/1, also attributed to body and complexity of the wine. However, in this study no correlations were observed between the phenolic content and sensory attributes and vice versa. The quality of wine cannot be concluded by chemical or sensory analysis alone, but the data sets are complementary. Although the phenolic concentration of wines made with S. cerevisiae strain (VIN 13) and T. delbrueckii (M2/1) were similar in measured phenolic concentrations, they had different sensory attributes. Wines made during the 2013 vintage indicated the importance of the use of a strain with higher enzyme activity and high fermentation rate. There is minimal to no skin contact in white winemaking. Therefore, the use of a yeast strain with an increased enzyme activity can facilitate the extraction of phenolics from grape, resulting in wine with improved quality.