Effects of Inactive Yeast Biostimulants on Mechanical and Color Attributes of Wine Grape Cultivars

Giovanni Gentilesco, Vittorio Alba (), Giovanna Forte, Rosa Anna Milella, Giuseppe Roselli and Mauro Eugenio Maria D’Arcangelo
Additional contact information
Giovanni Gentilesco: CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, Via Casamassima 148, 70010 Turi, Italy
Vittorio Alba: CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, Via Casamassima 148, 70010 Turi, Italy
Giovanna Forte: CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, Via Casamassima 148, 70010 Turi, Italy
Rosa Anna Milella: CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, Via Casamassima 148, 70010 Turi, Italy
Giuseppe Roselli: CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, Via Casamassima 148, 70010 Turi, Italy
Mauro Eugenio Maria D’Arcangelo: CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, Viale Santa Margherita 80, 52100 Arezzo, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-19

Abstract: Background: Biostimulants naturally improve plant growth, stress tolerance, and nutrient use efficiency and activate defenses by increasing protective metabolites (phenols, anthocyanins) in grapes. In viticulture, especially when using inactive yeasts, they modulate genetic expression and improve the skin resistance, color, and aroma profile of wine grapes in line with sustainable practices. Methods: Two wine grape cultivars, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, were sprayed with the inactive yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a single treatment in pre-veraison or in a double treatment in pre-veraison and veraison. Berry weight, must, total polyphenols, anthocyanins, and mechanical and colorimetric properties were measured on fresh grapes. Results: Two-way ANOVA revealed that titratable acidity (TA), pH, and total polyphenol content (TPC) were not affected, while mean berry weight and anthocyanin content varied by cultivar, treatment, and interaction; total soluble solids (TSS) differed only by cultivar. Inactive yeasts reduced weight in the single-treatment thesis but stabilized it in the double-treatment one; anthocyanins decreased in Cabernet Sauvignon but increased in Merlot. Mechanical and colorimetric analyses showed cultivar-dependent responses, with significant improvements in elasticity, skin thickness, and hue of berries, especially in Merlot when the treatment was applied twice. Conclusions: Inactive yeasts (IYs) showed an effect on the weight of the berries, the anthocyanins, the mechanics, and the color; Merlot significantly improved skin thickness, elasticity, and hue; and Cabernet remained less reactive to treatments.

Keywords: biostimulants; wine grapes; mechanical traits; reflectance spectrum (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6958/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6958/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:15:p:6958-:d:1714490

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().