From Yeast to Flavor: Engineering Excellence in Wine

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Drinks and Liquid Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 471

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Wine Chemistry Lab, Department of Biotechnolgy, University of Verona, Via della Pieve 70, 37029 San Pietro in Cariano, VR, Italy
Interests: wine; fermentation

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, Italy
Interests: food; wine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Alcoholic fermentation primarily driven by yeasts is the pivotal process transforming grape must into wine. Nevertheless, wine production is experiencing significant evolution, driven by the integration of traditional enology techniques, modern biotechnology and applied microbiology. Beyond their fundamental role in alcoholic fermentation, yeasts, including Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces species, have proven to be powerful modulators of key compositional features and, in turn, of sensory wine parameters such as aroma and mouthfeel. Biotechnological and microbiological advancements now allow for a more precise tailoring of these sensory profiles. This is achieved by guiding yeast metabolism to enhance the production of volatile organic compounds, including esters, thiols, and terpenes, and by fine-tuning crucial physicochemical parameters such as pH, organic acid profiles and alcohol content. Nevertheless, challenges remain. The complex interactions between different yeast strains, native microbiota, and must composition require deeper understanding to achieve more predictable and desirable outcomes. Furthermore, aligning these advanced biotechnological tools with growing consumer demand for “natural” and reduced-intervention winemaking presents an ongoing challenge and area for innovation. 

Dr. Giovanni Luzzini
Dr. Davide Slaghenaufi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • alcoholic fermentation
  • yeast metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae
  • non-Saccharomyces
  • native microbiota
  • aroma profile
  • volatile compounds
  • sensory features
  • aroma
  • mouthfeel

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 1359 KB  
Article
From Waste to Taste: Dynamic Interaction of Grape Stems with Wine Off-Odors
by Giovanni Luzzini, Jessica Anahi Samaniego Solis, Jacopo Nicola Bergamo, Naíssa Prévide Bernardo and Davide Slaghenaufi
Foods 2026, 15(10), 1707; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15101707 - 13 May 2026
Viewed by 245
Abstract
Within the circular economy framework, grape stems, a major winemaking by-product, are increasingly recognized for their potential to modulate wine composition despite some criticalities. This study aimed to investigate fresh and withered stems as both sources of compounds and adsorbents of off-odors. Corvina [...] Read more.
Within the circular economy framework, grape stems, a major winemaking by-product, are increasingly recognized for their potential to modulate wine composition despite some criticalities. This study aimed to investigate fresh and withered stems as both sources of compounds and adsorbents of off-odors. Corvina and Cabernet Sauvignon stems were tested under three conditions: fresh, and 20% and 40% weight loss. Over 14 days of maceration in red wine, the release kinetics of key enological parameters, including pH, ethanol, total phenolics, methoxypyrazines, and C6 alcohols, were investigated. Concurrently, the adsorption capacity for methanethiol was evaluated. Results indicated that stems significantly influence wine composition by increasing pH and phenolic content while reducing ethanol, with variability associated with the withering treatment. Withered stems showed reduced release of herbaceous pyrazines compared to fresh stems. Stems demonstrated a high affinity for methanethiol, resulting in a significant decrease greater than that observed with commercial enological tannins, known for their ability to reduce reductive mercaptans. This decrease was primarily driven by direct adsorption onto the solid stem matrix, with a secondary contribution from leached soluble compounds. This work provides new insights into the chemical interplay between grape stems and wine, highlighting their valorization potential as a sustainable tool to manage wine composition and mitigate sensory defects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Yeast to Flavor: Engineering Excellence in Wine)
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