Effect of organic acids and nitrogen source on alcoholic fermentation: study of their buffering capacity.

The effect of tartaric acid and other organic acids on alcoholic fermentation was studied. Organic acids in media with high sugar concentrations and ammonium as the sole nitrogen source had an enormous impact on Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolism during alcoholic fermentation. The main effect on yeast metabolism was the quick acidification of the media in the absence of organic acids. All of the organic acids used in this study (tartaric, malic, citric, and succinic acids) showed a buffering capacity, but not all of the acids had the same one. However, the results suggested that buffering should not be considered the only effect of organic acids on yeast metabolism. Nitrogen source also had a great influence on media pH. Ammonium consumption by yeasts produced a greater acidification of the media than when amino acids were used.