56124 Pisa;
Via del Borghetto 80;
Department of Agriculture;
University of Pisa;
Department of Food;
Via Celoria 2;
Food and Environment;
University of Milano;
Environmental and Nutritional Sciences;
Milano;
Italy;
Viability and culturability of eight Dekkera bruxellensis strains in wine along with the accumulation of volatile phenols in response to increasing concentrations of molecular sulphur dioxide (mSO_2) were investigated. mSO_2 concentrations up to 1mg/L induced the non-culturable state of a portion of the population in all the strains to a different extent for each strain, although the cells were still viable. At 1.4 mg/L mSO_2, cells were non-culturable, though 0.38-29.01%of cells retained their viability. When exposed to 2.1 mg/L mSO_2, viable cells were not detected. Up to 0.24mg/L 4-vinylguaiacol and up to 0.73 mg/L 4-ethylphenol were accumulated by nonculturable and dead Dekkera bruxellensis strains, respectively. The concentration of mSO_2 needed for the transition fromviable to non-culturable state of D. bruxellensis strains was higher in wine than in synthetic wine medium. The volatile phenols accumulated in wine were different from those produced in synthetic wine medium, although their accumulation kinetics were similar.