Yeast Metabolism and Its Exploitation in Emerging Winemaking Trends: From Sulfite Tolerance to Sulfite Reduction

Sulfite is widely used as a preservative in foods and beverages for its antimicrobial antioxidant activities, particularly winemaking where SO2 frequently added. Thus, sulfite resistance mechanisms have been extensively studied the fermenting yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nevertheless, recent years, negative perception has developed towards sulfites wine, because of human health environmental concerns. Increasing consumer demand wines with low content pushing sector to develop new practices order reduce including use physical chemical alternatives SO2, exploitation microbial resources same purpose. For this reason, formation sulfur-containing compounds by wine become crucial point research during last decades. In context, aim review examine main weaponized cerevisiae coping sulfite, particular emphasis on production glutathione, detoxification through membrane efflux (together genetic determinants thereof), SO2-binding compounds.