# Yeast Starter Culture Identification to Produce of Red Wines with Enhanced Antioxidant Content  
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1 National Research Council, Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA), Via Prov. Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.R. ); [PERSON]S] (M.T. ); [PERSON] (C.G. ); [PERSON](M.T.) [PERSON]  
1 National Research Council, Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA), Via Prov. Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.R. ); [PERSON]S] (M.T. ); [PERSON] (C.G. ); [PERSON](M.T.) [PERSON]  
1 National Research Council, Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA), Via Prov. Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.R. ); [PERSON]S] (M.T. ); [PERSON] (C.G. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.T.) [PERSON]  
1 National Research Council, Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA), Via Prov. Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.R. ); [PERSON]S] (M.T. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.G. ); [PERSON](M.T.) [PERSON]  
2 Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Via Prov. Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] 2  
[PERSON]  
1 National Research Council, Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA), Via Prov. Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.R. ); [PERSON]S] (M.T. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.G. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.T. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.G. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.T.) Footnote 1: email: [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
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the Mediterranean diet [3]. The polyphenolic extracts of red wine are a complex mixture of structurally different compounds, some of which exhibit important biological activities, such as the prevention of cardiovascular diseases [4; 5], inhibition of inflammatory processes, and protection against certain cancers [6; 7]. However, the specific roles of individual polyphenols, whether flavonoids or non-flavonoids, remain not entirely clear, and are often attributed to their synergistic action. Several factors influence the phenolic content of wine, with some of the most important ones being the physical or enzymatic interventions during maceration and the yeast strain used in the fermentation process. Currently, ongoing research delves into the mechanisms through which yeast influences the colour and polyphenic compound content of wine. Three modes of interaction between yeast and the polyphenic component have already been described. The first mechanism involves the adsorption of polyphenols on the cell wall of yeasts. However, although yeast has been shown as a factor capable of inducing the loss of part of polyphenols in wines, it remains unclear whether anthocyanin on the cell wall is the only mechanism at play. The cell wall of _S. cerevisiae_ is characterised by outward-facing mannoproteins bound to oligosaccharides, glucans, and chitin [8]. The different polarities of these cell wall components affect the yeast's capacity to absorb and retain certain classes of molecules, such as polyphenols, volatile compounds, and fatty acids [9]. The adsorption of molecules onto the yeast cell wall is further influenced by its porosity, with greater interstitial spaces providing an increased surface area that favours adsorption [10]. During alcoholic fermentation, the substantial biomass generated leads to a significant proportion of polyphenols being adsorbed onto the cell walls and subsequently removed from the wine along with the lees. It is plausible that different yeast strains have distinct cell wall composition, influencing the varying degrees of adsorption of phenolic compounds. Moreover, the potential for certain strains to demonstrate distinct adsorption patterns, selectively interacting with specific classes of polyphenols, cannot be ruled out. Another form of interaction is associated with the enzymatic activity of \(\beta\)-glucosidase, which is released by the yeasts themselves [11].