Enhancing antioxidant activity and fragrant profile of low-ethanol kiwi wine via sequential culture of indigenous Zygosaccharomyces rouxii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

To explore a novel producing strategy for enhancing antioxidant activity and aroma of low-ethanol kiwi wine, kiwifruit juice was sequential fermentation with indigenous Zygosaccharomyces rouxii (Zr) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) without adding sugars. The organic acids, bioactive compounds , volatile constituents, antioxidant capacities and sensory profiles were measured to evaluate the performance of different inoculation ratios. The results indicated that compared with pure fermentation of Sc, the sequential fermentations significantly increased the total flavonoids , total phenols , some mono-phenols and antioxidant activities of the low-ethanol kiwi wines, and resulted in a positive effect on organic acids mainly by reducing the content of malic acid . At the same time, sequential fermentations significantly enhanced the aroma profile of the low-ethanol kiwi wines. The higher inoculation ratio of Zr greatly increased the complexity of the volatiles, improving sweet odor of the wines. While the similar inoculation ratio of Zr and Sc significantly increased the volatile contents, intensifying the tropical fruity and kernel fruity. In addition, the partial least-squares regression analysis showed that aldehydes resulted in sourness, ethyl esters and acetate esters possessed a positive impact on tropical fruity and kernel fruity.