Foam-stabilizing properties of the yeast protein PAU5 and evaluation of factors that can influence its concentration in must and wine

- The yeast protein PAU5 has foam stabilizing properties.
- Bentonite treatment was shown to have an influence on the amount of PAU5 in wine.
- Temperature treatment of botrytized prevents PAU5 degradation in infected model musts.

The absence of the yeast protein seripauperin 5 (PAU5) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been suggested as a biomarker for the occurrence of gushing in sparkling wine as samples lacking PAU5 were found to be more susceptible to gushing. In this study, further characterization of PAU5 regarding its foam-stabilizing properties was performed to elucidate whether PAU5 has foam-stabilizing properties and therefore, to elucidate a direct influence on the gushing potential of sparkling wines. PAU5 was successfully purified from non-gushing sparkling wine using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Pure protein was added to grape juice as a model system for grape must prior to foam stability testing. The results revealed that the protein PAU5 has foam-stabilizing properties. Furthermore, the influence of heat and sulfur treatment in the presence of Botrytis cinerea was analyzed with regard to the amount of PAU5 produced by S. cerevisiae fermented in grape juice. Fermentation experiments using two different S. cerevisiae strains were performed, and the concentration of PAU5 in the samples was compared by RP-HPLC analysis. Unlike sulfur treatment, heat treatment prevented the protein degradation induced by B. cinerea and resulted in even higher amounts of PAU5 compared to the juice fermented with yeast without a previous botrytization. The two different yeast strains applied secreted PAU5 into the surrounding medium in different amounts. In further experiments, the fining process of the wine with bentonite was examined for its potential to remove PAU5 from the wine. RP-HPLC of wines processed with different fining agents revealed that bentonite treatment affected PAU5 concentrations in the final product. The extent of PAU5 removal depended on the type of bentonite applied and on the time of addition during the production process.

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