Impact of fermentation parameters on the kinetics of fermentative aromas synthesis

INRA in Montpellier in collaboration with INRA in Pech Rouge has developed a new method of analysis that allows to monitor in real time the kinetics of production of fermentative aromas, allowing to evaluate the impact of temperature and nutrients on the production of these volatile molecules. The use of this new analysis technique, as demonstrated on the video, allows us to see how the initial level of assimilable nitrogen represents the factor with the greatest impact on the production of fermentative aromas: the higher the nitrogen content, the higher the concentration of esters in the final wine.

In addition to this fundamental consideration, this technique has allowed to highlight the strong interactions between temperature effects and initial levels of nitrogen and phytosterols, underlining the importance of the coordinated management of these three parameters.

It was also possible to investigate the effect of nitrogen addition times on the kinetics of fermentation aromas production and it was demonstrated that the addition of organic nitrogen is more effective than the addition of mineral nitrogen. The use of specific nutrients and their addition at specific times during alcoholic fermentation can stimulate the potential of the yeast, optimizing its secondary metabolism in the production of fermentative aromatic compounds and stimulating the conversion of grape aromatic precursors into thiols.

The paper reproduced in this video-seminar was presented at the 12th edition of Enoforum (Vicenza, Italy, May 21-23, 2019).