Résumé
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) conducting the malolactic fermentation (MLF) have a significant influence on the stability and sensory quality of wine. We have investigated the role of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with regard to their influence on vanillin formation when MLF is performed in barrels. The metabolism of Oenococcus oeni, the principal wine LAB species, showed to increase the levels of vanillin during MLF in presence of wood. This indicated the potential utilisation of the precursors from the oak wood and/or the production of enzymes by this species could affect vanillin formation. The precursors from the oak wood were fractionated and the action of glycosidases on the liberated compounds was studied. The release of vanillin was increased when purified β-glucosidase, α-L-arabinofuranosidase and α-L-rhamnopyranosidase were added to the wood extract.