Oenological versatility of Schizosaccharomyces spp.

The biodiversity of non-Saccharomyces yeasts is currently a topic of great interest. The possibility of their use in winemaking has led to much research into the metabolic and structural properties of some of these yeasts, such as those belonging to Torulaspora, Pichia, Hanseniaspora and Hansenula. The present work reviews our knowledge of the genus Schizosaccharomyces, the use of which in winemaking has recently been discussed at the International Organisation of Vine and Wine. However, despite offering the advantage of malic dehydrogenase activity, plus a wall structure that ensures the autolytic release of mannoproteins and polysaccharides during ageing over lees, only one commercial strain of Schizosaccharomyces pombe is currently available.