Acetic acid removal by Saccharomyces cerevisiae during fermentation in oenological conditions. Metabolic consequences

The commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains used in champagne winemaking were tested for their ability to metabolise acetic acid during alcoholic fermentation. Fermentation tests were performed in conditions close to oenological ones using a Chardonnay grape juice supplemented with acetic acid. The amount of acetic acid metabolised by wine yeast increased with increasing initial acetic acid concentration and this elimination occurred during the second part of the exponential growth phase. When the initial acetic acid concentration exceeds 1 g/l, and whatever the yeast strain used, the concentration of acetic acid in the resulting wine cannot be reduced to an acceptable level according to the current legislation. Acetic acid removal modified yeast metabolism, since more acetaldehyde, less glycerol and less succinic acid were produced. Considering the reduction of the NADPH/NADP⁺ ratio following acetic acid consumption, we propose, as a new hypothesis, that acetic acid could modify yeast metabolism by reducing the activity of the NADP⁺ dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase Ald6p.