Effect of fermentation temperature on chemical composition of mescals made from Agave duranguensis juice with different native yeast genera

Abstract

In this study, the fermentation behavior at 18 and 28°C of different native yeast genera on juice from Agave duranguensis was evaluated and the volatile compounds produced in the obtained mescals from these fermentations were identified. The fermentative capacity of Hanseniaspora uvarum, Kluyveromyces marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae increased at 28°C; however, the fermentation behavior of Torulaspora delbrueckii was not affected by temperature. In the mescals produced by H. uvarum, T. delbrueckii and S. cerevisiae a greater number and abundance of compounds were identified at 18°C than at 28°C. Conversely, K. marxianus showed a higher production of these compounds at 28°C. Some compounds identified in all mescals were 2-methyl-1-propanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, acetic acid, 1-(2-furanyl)-ethanone, furfural, α-terpineol, ethyl phenyl acetate and phenyl ethyl alcohol. For strains H. uvarum, T. delbrueckii and S. cerevisiae, the most abundant compound identified was 3-methyl-1-butanol at both temperatures. However, for K. marxianus, phenyl ethyl acetate was the most abundant. The non-Saccharomyces genera studied, exhibit different behaviors to those reported for wine fermentation when the same genera was used. Therefore, they presented a major fermentative capacity and also volatile compounds characteristic of mescals were produced. © 2011 Academic Journals.