Premium
Influence of different pH values and inoculation time on the growth and malolactic activity of a strain of Oenococcus oeni
Author(s) -
ROSI IOLANDA,
FIA GIOVANNA,
CANUTI VALENTINA
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
australian journal of grape and wine research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1755-0238
pISSN - 1322-7130
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-0238.2003.tb00270.x
Subject(s) - oenococcus oeni , malolactic fermentation , fermentation , food science , lactic acid , ethanol fermentation , inoculation , bacteria , wine , malic acid , chemistry , wine fault , strain (injury) , microbiology and biotechnology , citric acid , biology , horticulture , genetics , anatomy
The present study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of medium pH and inoculation time on the growth and malolactic activity of an Oenococcus oeni culture. Samples of a commercial white grape juice adjusted to pH 3.2, 3.4 or 3.6, and inoculated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain CY3079, were inoculated with a malolactic culture ( Oenococcus oeni strain 31) at the beginning, middle, and end of alcoholic fermentation. The results obtained from this single case study show that it is possible to inoculate the bacterial culture at the three different times during alcoholic fermentation without slowing down or stopping alcoholic fermentation or causing failure of MLF. However, pH and timing of bacterial inoculation were critical to how rapidly MLF starts. At pH 3.2 a lowering of bacterial viability was observed, but a more important reduction was recorded at all tested pH levels when the bacteria were inoculated halfway through alcoholic fermentation. When inoculation was carried out at the end of alcoholic fermentation, the presence of yeast seemed to favour bacterial viability and activity and bacteria performed MLF even in difficult conditions such as pH values around 3. In all wines malolactic fermentation was accompanied by total degradation of malic and citric acids and production of L‐lactic acid, D‐lactic and acetic acids.