Carbohydrate composition of red wines during early aging and incidence on spoilage by Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Abstract

Wine is generally considered as hostile medium in which spoilage microbes have to manage with many abiotic factors among which low nutrient content. Wines elaborated in 8 wineries were sampled during the first summer of aging over two consecutive vintages, and analysed for carbohydrate composition. This revealed the systematic presence of many carbohydrates including those useful for the spoilage yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis. However, during the first summer of aging, the changes in wine carbohydrate composition were low and it was difficult to assess how much carbohydrate composition contributed to wine spoilage by B. bruxellensis. Subsequent laboratory experiments in inoculated wines showed that the sugars preferentially consumed in wine by the spoilage yeast are d-glucose, d-fructose, and trehalose, whatever the yeast strain considered. The addition of these sugars to red wines accelerates the yeast growth and the volatile phenols formation. Although probably not the only promoting factor, the presence of high amounts of metabolisable sugars thus really increases the risk of "brett" spoilage.

Keywords: Aging; Brettanomyces bruxellensis; Carbohydrates; Spoilage; Wine.