Why is hydrogen sulfide measured during fermentation

Survey of hydrogen sulphide production by wine yeasts. Food Protec. Mendes, O. Pereira, P. Guedes de Pinho, T. Hogg, and I. Volatile sulphur compounds in wines related to yeast metabolism and nitrogen composition of grape musts.

Boulton, and A. Formation of hydrogen sulfide and glutathione during fermentation of white grape musts. New development for measuring hydrogen sulfide during brewing - preliminary data. Master Brew. Analysis of volatile sulfur compounds in wines. Connaissance aromatique des cepages et qualite des vins. Acutes du symposium international, Montpellier, France, pp. Nature, origin and prevention of hydrogen sulphide aroma in wines. Food Agric. MacNamara, and M. Formation of hydrogen sulfide from elemental sulfur during fermentation by wine yeast.

Boulton, M. Silacci, and W. The effect of elemental sulfur, yeast strain, and fermentation medium on hydrogen sulfide production during fermentation. Silacci, and R. Changes in elemental sulfur residues on Pinot noir and Cabernet Sauvignon grape berries during the growing season. Title, Summary, Keyword.

Prior to inoculation, the addition of DAP was performed where required, according to an experimental design consisting of three YAN concentrations, each one fermented in triplicate, for a total of nine fermentations for each yeast. The pH of the fermentation medium was readjusted to 3. YAN was calculated as the sum of ammonia-derived nitrogen and FAN, and therefore did not include proline [ 25 ]. The fermentation progress was monitored by daily analysis of residual sugar by means of an enzymatic kit.

Cell population at different stages of fermentation was determined by microscope count using a hemocytometer. Monitoring of H 2 S development during fermentation was carried out by means of silver nitrate selective gas detector tubes Komyo Kitagawa, Japan , as described by Ugliano and Henschke [ 27 ].

H 2 S in the finished wines was measured by gas chromatography, as described by Ugliano et al. Each analysis was performed in duplicate. Multiple linear regression MLR analysis was carried out using Unscrambler 9. Fermentation performance of the five yeast strains under the different nutritional conditions are summarized in Table 1. Initial YAN increased the fermentation rate and maximum cell density and population, resulting in reduced fermentation duration, and shorter time to reach maximum cell density, which was in agreement with previous findings [ 2 ].

Fermentation performances of the five S. Profiles of H 2 S production in the head space during fermentation with five yeast strains of a low-nitrogen Chardonnay juice supplemented with DAP to give three YAN concentrations.

Effect of yeast strain and initial nitrogen on total H 2 S produced during fermentation of Chardonnay juice. Based on a rapid screening method that employs a bismuth-containing growth medium, the yeast strains used in this study show a wide range of H 2 S production capabilities Fig. Comparison of Figs. This result is consistent with the observations of Jiranek et al. However, AWRI is an anomalous strain in this regard, which showed low production in the plate assay and maximum production in the fermentation experiment.

Nevertheless, these results generally support the validity of the agar plate method as a rapid screening tool to assess the maximum potential for a strain to produce H 2 S [ 8 ], but reinforces the widely reported observation that H 2 S production in fermentation, although being strain-dependent, is significantly affected by the composition of the medium [ 6 , 7 , 23 ]. Therefore, plate assays such as the one used here cannot be used to systematically predict H 2 S formation during fermentation but provide a good indication of the potential of yeast strains to produce H 2 S.

Concentration of residual H 2 S in the final wines. In a recent study we suggested that H 2 S formed late in fermentation could be responsible for increased residual H 2 S, possibly due to the reduced purging effect of CO 2 in the last stages of fermentation [ 25 ]. However, in this study, relatively little H 2 S was produced during the final stages of fermentation, which might explain why such behavior was not observed.

Furthermore, differences in size of the fermentors ml compared to 30 l and nature of the matrix white juice compared to red must could have affected retention of the highly volatile H 2 S.

However, moderate nitrogen fermentations had residual H 2 S similar to or higher than low nitrogen fermentations, in spite of their fermentation rates being generally higher, suggesting that fermentation vigor is only partially correlated to final H 2 S.

The role of certain reactive species, including phenolics and quinones, which can trap —SH compounds, remains to be established. H 2 S can also be uptaken by the yeast form the fermentation environment towards the end of fermentation [ 17 ]. In conclusion, by using a panel of yeast strains with different H 2 S production characteristics combined with fermentation conditions that modify H 2 S production over a wide range, this study suggests the residual content of H 2 S in finished wine is not always determined by the total amount of H 2 S produced during fermentation.

Furthermore, at least under the conditions of this experiment, residual H 2 S in wine could not be linked to kinetic aspects of H 2 S production.

However, the highest nitrogen fermentations always produced wines with the lowest residual H 2 S, irrespective of yeast strain or H 2 S produced during fermentation. It remains to establish whether H 2 S in wines at the end of fermentation might also be affected by chemical reactions between H 2 S and wine constituents, for example phenolics and quinones.

Although DAP supplementation can strongly affect H 2 S production during fermentation, the ability of this common wine-making practice to systematically reduce formation of H 2 S is questionable.

Moderate nitrogen supplementation of a low nitrogen juice was generally associated with increased production of H 2 S. Also, for some strains, moderate nitrogen supplementation resulted in increased final concentration of H 2 S compared to non-supplemented controls. Given the importance of H 2 S management in the modern wine industry, these results indicate the need for further research on the mechanisms determining H 2 S content of wine.

Lallemand and Anchor Yeast are thanked for providing cultures of commercial wine fermentation yeast. Google Scholar. Blateyron L , Sablayrolles JM Stuck and slow fermentations in enology: statistical study of causes and effectiveness of combined additions of oxygen and diammonium phosphate J Biosci Bioeng 91 Giudici P , Kunkee RE The effect of nitrogen deficiency and sulfur-containing amino acids on the reduction of sulfate to hydrogen sulfide by wine yeasts Am J Enol Vitic 45 Jiranek V , Langridge P , Henschke PA Determination of sulphite reductase activity and its response to assimilable nitrogen status in a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast J Appl Bacteriol 81 Jordan B , Slaughter JC Sulfate availability and cysteine desulphydration activity as influences on production of hydrogen-sulfide by Saccharomyces cerevisiae during growth in a defined glucose salts medium Trans Brit Mycol Soc 87 Kargiannis S , Lanaridis P The effect of various vinification parameters on the development of several volatile sulfur compounds in Greek white wines of the cultivars Batiki and Muscat of Hamburg Am J Enol Vitic 50 Nicolini G , Larcher R , Versini G Status of yeast assimilable nitrogen in Italian grape musts and effect of variety, ripening and vintage Vitis 43 89 Oka K , Hayashi T , Matsumoto N , Yanase H Decrease of hydrogen sulfide content during the final stages of beer fermentation due to the involvement of yeast and not carbon dioxide gas purging J Biosci Bioeng Rankine BC The importance of yeasts in determining the composition and quality of wines Vitis 7 22 Zoecklein B Enology notes Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.

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Materials and methods. Results and discussion. Occurrence of hydrogen sulfide in wine and in fermentation: influence of yeast strain and supplementation of yeast available nitrogen.

Maurizio Ugliano , Maurizio Ugliano. Oxford Academic. Radka Kolouchova. Paul A Henschke. Select Format Select format. Permissions Icon Permissions. Abstract Hydrogen sulfide H 2 S is a powerful aroma compound largely produced by yeast during fermentation. Yeasts were maintained by bimonthly serial propagation on yeast-malt extract YM medium Amyl Media, Dandenong, Australia supplemented with 1. These yeasts were selected to cover a broad range of H 2 S formation capabilities.

This intrinsic ability was assessed by means of a bismuth-containing indicator media BiGGY agar, Oxoid, England [ 8 ]. Colonies were then assessed for the intensity of the brown color, which is directly correlated with H 2 S production. Figure 1 shows that the H 2 S production by the five strains used in this study ranged from potentially low producers such as AWRI and to high producers such as AWRI , with the other yeasts exhibiting intermediate degrees of H 2 S production.

Open in new tab Download slide. AWRI Open in new tab. The initial nitrogen content of the Chardonnay juice had a strong effect on the profile of H 2 S production during fermentation Fig. In general, when H 2 S was formed during the cell-growth phase, a very high rate of formation commenced upon depletion of YAN, as observed in the non-supplemented fermentations Fig.

However, exceptions to the general trend were observed. For example, yeast AWRI showed similar maximum rates of H 2 S production irrespective of the yeast growth phase exponential or stationary or initial nitrogen content of the medium.