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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.

Sec. Food Microbiology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1654308

This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Microbial-Based Solutions: Food Coloring, Flavoring and FragranceView all 6 articles

Preliminary insights regarding the quality of Kallmet wine, obtained by sequential inoculation with Metschnikowia pulcherrima and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Provisionally accepted
Mamica  RuciMamica Ruci1*Renata  KongoliRenata Kongoli2Francesca  CoppolaFrancesca Coppola3Mariantonietta  SucciMariantonietta Succi4Bruno  TestaBruno Testa4*Onejda  KyçykOnejda Kyçyk1Julian  KaraulliJulian Karaulli1Fatbardha  LamçeFatbardha Lamçe1Massimo  IorizzoMassimo Iorizzo4
  • 1Faculty of Biotechnology and Food, Food Research Center, Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania, Universiteti i Tiranes, Tirana, Albania
  • 2Faculty of Biotechnology and Food, Department of Agro-food Technology, Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania, Universiteti i Tiranes, Tirana, Albania
  • 3Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Piazza Carlo di Borbone 1, 80055 Portici, Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
  • 4Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts have a promising role in biotechnological approaches to enhance wine complexity, particularly by influencing the aromatic profile. Metschnikowia pulcherrima is a non-Saccharomyces yeast that is notable for its antimicrobial activity and diverse enzymatic activities. These properties make this yeast a valide candidate for application as a starter culture in winemaking. This study evaluated the application of M. pulcherrima 62 in sequential inoculation with S. cerevisiae for the production of Kallmet wine, delivered from the indigenous Kallmet grape variety traditionally cultivated in various regions of Albania. The use of different inoculation strategies resulted in significant differences in wine composition, affecting key oenological parameters, the aromatic profile and sensory attributes. M. pulcherrima 62 did not negatively interfere with the fermentation kinetics of S. cerevisiae during fermentation and contributed to wines with lower amounts of ethanol and richer in glycerol, total polyphenols and anthocyanins. Moreover, increased levels of isobutanol, phenylethyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol and monoterpenes (linalool, geraniol, and nerol) were observed in wines produced with M. pulcherrima 62 and S. cerevisiae in sequential inoculation, compared to wines fermented solely with S. cerevisiae. Finally, sensory analysis revealed a distinct differentiation in the wines, attributable to the modulation of aromatic compounds by M. pulcherrima 62.

Keywords: Non-Saccharomyces, Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Inoculation timing, Kallmet wine, sensorial analysis, VOCs

Received: 26 Jun 2025; Accepted: 01 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Ruci, Kongoli, Coppola, Succi, Testa, Kyçyk, Karaulli, Lamçe and Iorizzo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Mamica Ruci, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food, Food Research Center, Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania, Universiteti i Tiranes, Tirana, Albania
Bruno Testa, Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy

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