PROJECT R&D+I

TITLE
SMARTWINE SMARTER WINE FERMENTATIONS: INTEGRATING OMICS TOOLS FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL MIXED-STARTER CULTURES FOR TAILOR-MADE WINE
PRODUCTION

HIGHLIGHTS
Rational development of new mixed cultures to produce "tailor-made" wines, meeting
consumers demands.

ABSTRACT
In traditional winemaking, spontaneous fermentation is carried out by a sequence of yeast species,
Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces spp, naturally found in grape-musts. Non-Saccharomyces
wine yeasts have been traditionally seen as spoilage yeasts due to the production of several
detrimental metabolites and fermentation proprieties that depreciate wine quality. Presently, it is
recognized the potential of these yeasts to improve wine quality by the production of beneficial
aromatic compounds and of enzymes that catalyze desired biotransformation during alcoholic
fermentation.

In this line, the introduction of mixed-starter cultures consisting in a blend of Saccharomyces

cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces yeast strains has recently gained particular interest in wine
industry to respond to the new challenges of consumers demands for wines with high complexity
of flavour and stylistic distinction. In the last years several studies have investigated multi-starter
fermentations, using different yeast species and inoculation strategies to determine the impact of
these yeasts on the sensory proprieties of the wine.

Despite of the studies already carried out on this subject there are no comparative and systematic
studies combining the effects of grape-juice composition, particularly nitrogen, and fermentation
conditions on the prevalence of non-Saccharomyces yeasts and therefore their contribution to the
wine quality is not precisely known. Indeed there are no references about non-Saccharomyces
nitrogen preferences neither nitrogen demands or how the initial nitrogen concentration of grape-
juice may affect the total population dynamics and yeast-yeast during alcoholic fermentation.
It is intended to explore a combination of approaches comprising screening, single/mixed culture
trials, exo-metabolomics and sensorial analysis combined with advanced genomic and genetic
tools. Such an innovative and integrative analysis has never been performed before. This project
will greatly contribute to the physiological and molecular characterization of wine non-
Saccharomyces yeasts. The expected results will shed light on how individual/mutual nutritional
demands dictate yeast dynamics during wine fermentations and will contribute towards
understanding the interactions that are at the base of the wine fermentation. The knowledge
gathered in this project can provide targets for the rational optimization and development of
industrially appropriate mixed cultures.

KEYWORDS
Non-Saccharomyces yeast starter cultures, Omics Tools Nitrogen. Wine Quality,
 PROJECT R&D+I

PROMOTERS / PARTNERS
Universidade de Trs-os-Montes e Alto Douro (Coordinator); Escola Superior de Biotecnologia - Universidade
Catlica Portuguesa; Instituto de Bioengenharia e Biocincias do Instituto Superior Tcnico, Universidade de
Lisboa

FINANCING PROGRAM EXECUTION DATE GLOBAL BUDGET

PTDC/AGR-TEC/3315/2014 2016-2019 196.180,00

CONTACTS E-MAIL PHONE

Maria Arlete Mendes Faia (UTAD) afaia@utad.pt +351 259 350 554
Isabel Vasconcelos (ESB-UCP) ivasconcelos@porto.ucp.pt +351 22 558 0004
Nuno Pereira Mira (IST-UL) nuno.mira@ist.utl.pt +351 218 419 181