Effect of Yeast Strain and Supplementation with Inactive Yeast during Alcoholic Fermentation on Wine Polysaccharides

Abstract

Polysaccharides seem to exert some sort of positive sensorial effect on wine quality. For this reason, attempts have been made to increase their concentration by such strategies as the use of yeast strains with a greater capacity for releasing polysaccharides and supplementation with inactive yeast specially pre-treated to favor the release of polysaccharides. The aim of this study was to determine whether these new strategies are really useful for enriching red wines in polysaccharides. Our results confirm that both strategies provide wines with higher polysaccharide concentrations. Wines fermented with a high polysaccharide-releasing yeast strain had a 32% higher polysaccharide concentration than controls. Wines supplemented with inactive yeasts also had significant increases (11-20%).