Exploring the oenological potential of South African <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> isolates

Over the past fifty years, numerous yeast strains have been selected for the wine industry in a quest to address increasingly specific organoleptic requirements. Indeed, challenges such as the ever-evolving consumer preferences and climate change require the industry to continuously innovate. Inter...

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Main Authors: Keegan Clark, Mathabatha Setati, Benoit Divol
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: International Viticulture and Enology Society 2025-03-01
Series:OENO One
Subjects:
Online Access:https://oeno-one.eu/article/view/8391
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author Keegan Clark
Mathabatha Setati
Benoit Divol
author_facet Keegan Clark
Mathabatha Setati
Benoit Divol
author_sort Keegan Clark
collection DOAJ
description Over the past fifty years, numerous yeast strains have been selected for the wine industry in a quest to address increasingly specific organoleptic requirements. Indeed, challenges such as the ever-evolving consumer preferences and climate change require the industry to continuously innovate. Interestingly, despite fermentation capabilities and metabolic pathways being mostly conserved across Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, differing intraspecific metabolite production offers never-ending opportunities to meet the industry’s demands while enhancing our knowledge of this biodiversity. This study documented selected oenological phenotypic characteristics driven by red wine consumer trends of a collection of S. cerevisiae strains collected by the South African Grape and Wine Research Institute. It focussed on the uncharacterised strains’ IRC7 genotype, fermentation kinetics, metabolite production, varietal thiol production, and overall sensory profile of wines. Strain-dependent differences were observed, discovering unique chemical and sensory profiles that contribute to the deeper understanding of the yeast biodiversity within the Stellenbosch region. The distinct strains identified and characterised hold the potential for novel wines that meet the contemporary demands for unique sensorial experiences. This study aids in responding to current consumer trends as well as contributing to the conversation on the importance of natural isolates in sustaining and revitalising the dynamic landscape of the wine industry.
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spelling doaj-art-e9db477aa120424eaa6ad35f450e0e7c2025-08-20T02:51:42ZengInternational Viticulture and Enology SocietyOENO One2494-12712025-03-0159110.20870/oeno-one.2025.59.1.8391Exploring the oenological potential of South African <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> isolatesKeegan Clark0Mathabatha Setati1Benoit Divol2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1506-3170South African Grape and Wine Research Institute, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South AfricaSouth African Grape and Wine Research Institute, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South AfricaSouth African Grape and Wine Research Institute, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa Over the past fifty years, numerous yeast strains have been selected for the wine industry in a quest to address increasingly specific organoleptic requirements. Indeed, challenges such as the ever-evolving consumer preferences and climate change require the industry to continuously innovate. Interestingly, despite fermentation capabilities and metabolic pathways being mostly conserved across Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, differing intraspecific metabolite production offers never-ending opportunities to meet the industry’s demands while enhancing our knowledge of this biodiversity. This study documented selected oenological phenotypic characteristics driven by red wine consumer trends of a collection of S. cerevisiae strains collected by the South African Grape and Wine Research Institute. It focussed on the uncharacterised strains’ IRC7 genotype, fermentation kinetics, metabolite production, varietal thiol production, and overall sensory profile of wines. Strain-dependent differences were observed, discovering unique chemical and sensory profiles that contribute to the deeper understanding of the yeast biodiversity within the Stellenbosch region. The distinct strains identified and characterised hold the potential for novel wines that meet the contemporary demands for unique sensorial experiences. This study aids in responding to current consumer trends as well as contributing to the conversation on the importance of natural isolates in sustaining and revitalising the dynamic landscape of the wine industry. https://oeno-one.eu/article/view/8391wine<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>alcoholic fermentationphenotypic screeningsensory profiles
spellingShingle Keegan Clark
Mathabatha Setati
Benoit Divol
Exploring the oenological potential of South African <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> isolates
OENO One
wine
<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>
alcoholic fermentation
phenotypic screening
sensory profiles
title Exploring the oenological potential of South African <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> isolates
title_full Exploring the oenological potential of South African <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> isolates
title_fullStr Exploring the oenological potential of South African <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> isolates
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the oenological potential of South African <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> isolates
title_short Exploring the oenological potential of South African <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> isolates
title_sort exploring the oenological potential of south african i saccharomyces cerevisiae i isolates
topic wine
<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>
alcoholic fermentation
phenotypic screening
sensory profiles
url https://oeno-one.eu/article/view/8391
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AT mathabathasetati exploringtheoenologicalpotentialofsouthafricanisaccharomycescerevisiaeiisolates
AT benoitdivol exploringtheoenologicalpotentialofsouthafricanisaccharomycescerevisiaeiisolates