YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!
Or in this case your wine is what your yeast eats….
Harvest is fast approaching and every supplier has their own myriad of products. So what should you be using? Are
these nutrients really so different? Let Enartis demystify nutrition for you…
Everybody knows that nitrogen is an essential nutrient for yeast and that it can be provided as an inorganic form ammonium ions - and organic form - amino acids, but when it is time to decide which form to use, a few questions
arise.
Is it the same for the yeast to use one or the other?
When should I use organic versus inorganic nitrogen?
What is the impact of organic and inorganic nitrogen on wine quality?
ORGANIC VERSUS INORGANIC NITROGEN:
what is the effect each has on the yeast?
Nitrogen is used by yeast to synthesise amino acids that in turn will be used to produce proteins. Amino acids can be
produced by the yeast using ammonium ions and glucose as the building blocks.
So why give amino acids to the yeast, you say, when you can use nutrients that are ‘cheaper’ to add?
Imagine that you want to build a house and you have the choice of using bricks or prefabricated walls. In the first
case, you will spend less but it will take longer and more work. In the second case, it will cost more but it will be
much faster and will require less labour. Ammonium is like bricks for yeast, while amino acids are the prefabricated
walls. Although ammonium is a cheap source of nutrition its transformation into amino acids requires time and energy whereas amino acids can be immediately used as they are.
THE RIGHT SOURCE OF NITROGEN AT THE RIGHT TIME
Yeasts benefit from a mix of different nutrient sources, the use of both organic and inorganic nitrogen is the best
guarantee for healthy growth and performance. Organic nitrogen intake is inhibited by inorganic nitrogen and it is
for this reason that amino acids must be provided separately from inorganic nutrients. Additionally, organic nitrogen
intake is very difficult when alcohol content is above 4%, this is the reason why we advise on adding amino acids at
the beginning of alcoholic fermentation. For optimum results, nutrients high in amino acids should be added at the
time of yeast inoculation and nutrients high in inorganic nitrogen, only after a 3 Brix drop or 24-48 hours. Similarly,
inorganic nutrients are the most accessible source of nitrogen when alcohol levels are above 4%.
CORRECT TIMING FOR ENARTIS NUTRIENT ADDITION
WHY ADD ORGANIC NITROGEN?
Simple - organic nitrogen is more nutritional for yeast than ammonium because amino acids can be used as they are
without requiring energy consumption for their synthesis. When feeding yeast with amino acids, the resulting wine
has a lower content of volatile acidity, H2S and acetaldehyde while it is richer in esters and higher alcohols. In particular, the so-called branched-chain amino acids - valine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine - stimulate the synthesis of
the correspondent higher alcohols and esters via the catabolic pathway proposed a century ago by Erlich. As a result,
the wine has a more intense fruity and floral aroma.
HIGHER ALCOHOLS AND ESTERS PRODUCED FROM BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO ACIDS
Branched- chain
amino acid
Resulting higher
alcohol
Aroma
Resulting ester
Aroma
Phenylalanine
2-phenilethyl alcohol
Floral
2-phenilethyl acetate
Rose, Floral
Leucine/isoleucine
Isoamyl alcohol
Pear drop
Isoamyl acetate
Banana, candy, fruity
Valine
Isobutyl alcohol
Alcoholic
Isobutyl acetate
Tropical fruit
HOW CAN ENARTIS NUTRIENTS IMPROVE WINE AROMA?
Enartis has developed a few nutrients aimed to effectively impact on wine aroma.
If your goal is to highlight grape varietal character by preventing off-flavours, reducing VA and acetaldehyde formation, and boosting the production of favourable compounds like glycerol, Nutriferm Energy is the one.
This nutrient is made entirely from yeast derivatives that, including vitamins and mineral salts, provide quickly-absorbable amino acids. These ingredients are ideal to use in addition to ammonium, the yeast’s favourite nitrogen
source. Nutriferm Energy ensures healthy and happy yeasts to extract the best aroma qualities from the grapes.
IMPACT OF ORGANIC NITROGEN ON THE PRODUCTION OF ACETALDEHYDE
16
Acetaldehyde (mg/L)
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
NH4
NUTRIFERM ENERGY
NUTRIFERM At PLUS
If you are looking for aromatic complexity or if the season is bad and you need to create new aromas, Nutriferm
Arom Plus would be your best choice. Like Energy, Nutriferm Arom Plus provides vitamins, mineral salts and
amino acids. These are branched-chain amino acids, that are used by yeast to produce esters, acetates and
higher alcohols. Nutriferm Arom Plus will boost the synthesis of aromatic compounds and produce very fruity and
floral wines.
IMPACT OF ORGANIC NITROGEN ON THE PRODUCTION OF AROMATIC COMPOUNDS
350
NH4
300
NUTRIFERM ENERGY
mg/L
250
NUTRIFERM AROM PLUS
200
150
100
50
0
Esters (Fruit aroma)
Isoamyl alcohol
(pear drop)
2-phenylethanol
(floral, rose)
Finally, Nutriferm Advance is your insurance for a clean and complete fermentation. This complex nutrient is
made of DAP and yeast hulls rich in sterols and fatty acids. It is to be used at 1/3 of sugar depletion with the goal
of preventing stuck fermentation and H2S formation. In fact, Nutriferm Advance provides all of the elements needed to maintain perfectly active yeast metabolism until the complete consumption of sugar.
NUTRIFERM
ENERGY
APPLICATION
NITROGEN FROM
AMINO ACIDS
INORGANIC
NITROGEN
AROMATIC
PRECURSORS
UNSATURATED
FATTY ACIDS
Reinforce fermentation
capacity of yeast
HHHH
NUTRIFERM
AROM PLUS
Supply of precursors
for the synthesis
of fermentation aromas
NUTRIFERM
ADVANCE
Ensure complete
and clean fermentation
HHHHH
HHH (DAP)
HHH
HHHHHH
HHHH
HHH
HHHHHH
STEROLS
HHHH
HHH
HHHHHH
MINERALS
HHH
HHH
HH
VITAMINS
HHHH
HHHH
HHH
ADSORPTIVE EFFECT
HH
H
HHHHH
TIMING OF ADDITION
Yeast inoculation
Yeast inoculation
1/3 sugar depletion
RECCOMMENDED DOSAGE
15 g/hL
30 g/hL
20-30 g/hL
Supplied
nutritional
factors