The impacts of Lachancea thermotolerans yeast strains on winemaking

Abstract

At one time, Saccharomyces spp. yeasts were the only option for use in winemaking due to their unique abilities to metabolize all grape juice sugars to ethanol. However, during the previous decade, several commercial non-Saccharomyces yeast products appeared in the biotechnology market. Some of them have slowly begun to establish new enological resources to solve modern winemaking challenges in the new century. Among these challenges, acidification in the warm-growing regions is of great concern for improving wine quality from those areas, particularly in light of the predictions of serious climate change. This review explores one of the most popular commercialized non-Saccharomyces yeast options in warm viticultural regions, Lachancea thermotolerans, and its influences on wine quality parameters, such as lactic acid, ethanol, glycerol, volatile acidity, volatile profiles, isovaleric acid, mannoproteins, polysaccharides, color, anthocyanins, amino acids, and sensory perception.

Keywords: Anthocyanin; Lachancea thermotolerans; Lactic acid; Non-Saccharomyces; Volatile compounds; Wine.