Biogenic amine production by Oenococcus oeni during malolactic fermentation of wines obtained using different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Twenty-six wild Oenococcus oeni strains were investigated for their ability to form biogenic amines during malolactic fermentation in synthetic medium and in wine. Eight strains produced histamine and tyramine in screening broth at concentrations of 2.6–5.6 mg/L and 1.2–5.3 mg/L, respectively. Based on their ability to form biogenic amines, five strains were selected to inoculate three wines obtained by the fermentation of three different Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (A, B, and C). All bacterial strains could perform malolactic fermentation for short periods in wine C, whereas only one strain performed complete malolactic fermentation in wines A and B. Two O. oeni strains (261 and 351) produced histamine and tyramine in wine C. Time-course analysis of these compounds showed that for both strains, histamine and tyramine production began at day 10 and finished on day 25, after the end of malolactic fermentation. These results indicate that the ability of O. oeni to produce histamine and tyramine is dependent on the bacterial strain and on the wine composition, which in turn depends on the yeast strain used for fermentation, and on the length of bacteria–yeast contact time after the completion of malolactic fermentation.