ECOLOGY OF INOCULATED AND SPONTANEOUS FERMENTATIONS IN RIOJA (SPAIN) MUSTS, EXAMINED BY MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA RESTRICTION ANALYSIS

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA restriction patterns was used to study t ile introduction of a selected strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for fermentation of non-sterile musts of La Rioja (Spain). All of the isol ates from the inoculated musts showed the restriction pattern of the s elected strain. The same technique was used to study the spontaneous f ermentation of musts, showing that a few strains were responsible for the fermentations. One of the strains identified from the spontaneous fermentations had been identified in a previous vintage. (C) 1997 Else vier Science B.V.