Spontaneous alcoholic fermentation (AF) of must is a process caused by complex microbiological interactions dominated by a population of non-Saccharomyces and Saccharomyces yeasts. During laboratory vinification of musts from 8 grapevine varieties from the Primorska, Posavje and Podravje wine-growing regions, the course of spontaneous AF was monitored by measuring the concentration of CO2 released. During the course of AF the yeast population was sampled. We isolated 46 Saccharomyces yeasts and 18 non-Saccharomyces yeasts (Hanseniaspora uvarum, Pichia kudriavzevii, Saturnispora diversa and Starmerella bacillaris). With the results obtained, we confirmed the relative slowness or incompleteness of spontaneous AF and the influence of the different proportions of non-Saccharomyces and Saccharomyces yeasts on the chemical composition of the wine. The ability and efficiency of the combined starter culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (K3161), H. uvarum (Mer383), and S. bacillaris (MF3161) strains for the derivation of AF at different ratios were further tested in inoculated AFs of 'Sauvignon' and 'Kerner' musts supplemented with commercial nitrogen nutrients. Simultaneously, control AFs were performed with commercial strain EC1118 (S. cerevisiae). After completion of AFs, inoculated with a combined starter yeast culture, the treatments with the lowest yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) content had higher concentrations of volatile compounds in the wines produced, particularly varietal thiols, linalool, isoamyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl caprylate, ethyl caprate and ethyl laurate. When monitoring the influence of the yeast inoculum composition, differences were determined in both wines for the compounds glycerol, malic acid, reducing sugars, isoamyl acetate, diethyl succinate, and γ-butyrolactone. The wines produced with the commercial strain exhibited a more pronounced vegetal flavour, while those produced with the combined starter yeast culture had a more intense fruity and floral flavours. In the thesis we confirmed the use of local S. cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces yeasts, which represent a natural grape microbiota, and their potential in inoculated AFs to produce quality wines from the wine-growing regions of Slovenia.
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