Evaluation of the inherent capacity of commercial yeast strains to release glycosidic aroma precursors from Muscat grape must

Background and Aims The aim of this work was to establish a general method for evaluating the intrinsic activity of yeasts towards the release of volatiles terpenes from glycosidic aroma precursors. Methods and Results The enzymatic capacity of yeast cells towards glycosidic aroma precursors was assessed on permeabilised yeast cells. In this way, the pores created into the cell membrane allowed the precursors to freely enter the cells. Conclusions The comparison between the release of terpenes from glycosidic aroma precursors by entire viable cells during fermentation and by permeabilised cells shows that the permeation of glycosidic aroma precursors through the yeast cell membrane is the main bottleneck for such release. Significance of the Study This work highlights the fact that Saccharomyces species can exhibit β‐glycosidase activity as high as non‐Saccharomyces species. This important result points out future prospects for the improvement of Saccharomyces species by classical genetics.