Aroma production and fermentation performance of S. cerevisiae × S. kudriavzevii natural hybrids under cold oenological conditions

Abstract This work aims to describe the wine fermentation characteristics of 23 natural S. cerevisiae  ×  S. kudriavzevii hybrid yeasts related to fermentative environments isolated from different regions and their significance for the aroma spectra of the produced wines. Fermentations were performed at 12 °C in artificial must, and S. cerevisiae and S. kudriavzevii pure species strains were used for comparison purposes. We determined the relevant kinetic parameters of fermentation, the concentration of the main metabolites and the main aroma-related compounds produced after fermentation. The results revealed that some strains that show well-rounded characteristics could be profitable yeast starters for low-temperature fermentation in winemaking, such as wine hybrid SPG172 but, surprisingly, also beer hybrid CECT11002, adding the efficient fermentative kinetics to the high production of aroma-related compounds. In addition, a novel metabolic correlation between fermentation performance and aroma production is described.