Stuck and Sluggish Fermentations

Abstract

Premature arrest of fermentation constitutes one of the most challenging problems in wine production. The causes of stuck and sluggish fermentations are numerous, troublesome to diagnose, and difficult to rectify. It has become well-established that fermentation rate decreases due to a targeted loss of hexose transport capacity. Factors which have been correlated with incomplete fermentations also regulate transporter expression, turnover and function. Several causes of slow and incomplete fermentations, including ethanol toxicity, have been well-characterized under enological conditions as described herein. Other potential factors that may impact cell growth, viability, and fermentative activity have not been sufficiently evaluated. The role of these factors in problematic enological fermentations is discussed.