(Phys) - The taste of wine arises from a symphony of compounds that are assembled as yeast ferment the must from grapes. But much of what happens in this process remains obscure. Now a team of researchers from France, a country that is synonymous with good wine, has begun to unveil the outlines of how yeast manage nitrogen, an essential element that comprises about 16 percent of proteins, and four percent of all organic matter. The research is published January 23rd in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

"In natural and industrial environments, a complex mixture of ammonium and amino acids comprises the nitrogen resource that can be ingested and used by all micro-organisms," said principal investigator Carole Camaraza, PhD, a Scientist at the Research Unit Sciences for Enology-Microbiology, INRA, Montpellier, France. "This strongly differs from lab conditions, where nitrogen is provided as a unique source, mainly as ammonium."