Evaluation of different nitrogen sources on growth and fermentation performance for enhancing ethanol production by wine yeasts
María Cecilia Rojo,
Paola Mónica Talia,
María Cecilia Lerena,
María Lorena Ponsone,
Magalí Lucía Gonzalez,
Lucía Maribel Becerra,
Laura Analía Mercado,
Virginia Martín-Arranz,
Francisco Rodríguez-Gómez,
Francisco Noé Arroyo-López,
Mariana Combina
Affiliations
María Cecilia Rojo
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1033AAJ, Argentina
Paola Mónica Talia
Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular IABIMO, UEDD INTA-CONICET, Dr. N. Repetto y Los Reseros s/n, (1686) Hurlingham, provincia de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
María Cecilia Lerena
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1033AAJ, Argentina
María Lorena Ponsone
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1033AAJ, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (FCEN-UNCuyo) Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Parque Gral San Martin (M5502JMA), Mendoza, Argentina
Magalí Lucía Gonzalez
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1033AAJ, Argentina
Lucía Maribel Becerra
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1033AAJ, Argentina
Laura Analía Mercado
Wine Research Center, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mendoza, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (EEA Mza INTA), San Martín 3853, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza 5507, Argentina
Virginia Martín-Arranz
Food Biotechnology Department, Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Carretera de Utrera Km 1. Campus Universitario Pablo de Olavide, Building 46. 41013, Sevilla, Spain
Francisco Rodríguez-Gómez
Food Biotechnology Department, Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Carretera de Utrera Km 1. Campus Universitario Pablo de Olavide, Building 46. 41013, Sevilla, Spain
Francisco Noé Arroyo-López
Food Biotechnology Department, Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Carretera de Utrera Km 1. Campus Universitario Pablo de Olavide, Building 46. 41013, Sevilla, Spain
Mariana Combina
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1033AAJ, Argentina; Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular IABIMO, UEDD INTA-CONICET, Dr. N. Repetto y Los Reseros s/n, (1686) Hurlingham, provincia de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Corresponding author.Wine Research Center, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mendoza, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (EEA Mza INTA), San Martín 3853, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza 5507, Argentina.
The utilization of grape juice from low oenological value grape varieties for bioethanol production represent an alternative for diversification and value addition in viticulture. Optimizing Very High Gravity (VHG) fermentation can significantly increase ethanol productivity while reducing water and energy consumption. In this study, the impact of different nitrogen sources on growth and fermentative performance of locally selected yeast strains was investigated. Five yeast strains of species Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii were cultured in both synthetic culture media and natural grape juice supplemented with ammonium sulfate (NH), yeast extract (YE), Fermaid K (FERM), and urea (U) at varying concentrations. Due to the very low fermentation rate, the Z. rouxii strain was excluded from the selection. The results obtained in synthetic medium showed that nitrogen sources that promoted growth (NH and YE) had minimal effects on fermentative performance and were highly dependent on the specific yeast strain. However, the combination of urea and ammonium favored the rate of sugar consumption. When validated in natural grape juice, urea combined with ammonium (U + NH 300 + 75 mg/L) improved both growth parameters and ethanol yield. Doubling the concentration (U + NH 600 + 150 mg/L) further enhanced sugar consumption and ethanol production while reducing unwanted by-products. The combined use of urea and ammonium exhibited a synergistic effect, making it a cost-effective nitrogen supplement for VHG fermentations.
