E2U™ – The contribution of Fermentis for sustainable oenology

In a world of increased pressure on human and natural resources; and in line also with customer expectations in the area of beverage fermentation; Fermentis by Lesaffre has been exploring ways to have a positive impact on society, environment and economics while developing beverage fermentation and characterization solutions; of which one has led to the development of the “Easy-To-Use” (E2U™) quality label. With this in mind, Fermentis by Lesaffre has indeed modified and verified a number of products according to a number of target specifications both from a quality and an application standpoint; with the aim to grant such label as a guarantee of improved performance and related economics and to contribute to the protection of environmental resources and to the comfort and safety of users. More specifically, by using appropriate Lesaffre production technologies and know-how, especially in the fields of formulation, drying and packaging; products have been redesigned with the aim to improve ease and safety of use, reduce costs, pollute less and protect natural resources.

The impacts today are twofold:
1/ Environmental; with the reduction of water consumption (thus conserving resources), detergent consumption (thus protecting the environment) and energy consumption (either direct through improved product application, or indirect through reduced capital expenditures).
2/ Safety/Societal/Economic; with (1) the reduction of risks associated with use and mainly inhalation during application (micro-granular powder vs. fine powder, powder); (2) the comfort/ease of use (from handling the packaging to introducing the product into the environment (must, for example)); (3) the increased accessibility for all with reduced investments related to application; (4) more consistency and reliability of results in relation to product yield and hygiene constraints, reducing losses and preventing downgrades; and (5) transport rationalization (reducing costs and environmental impact).

Finally, future perspectives include (1) easier storage with less temperature constraints, further reducing investment and/or energy consumption; (2) reduction of inert gas consumption in product processing and packaging; and (3) reduction of waste/packaging due to the use of new packaging materials/types; and possibly supplying in bulk to smaller users.This presentation will present illustrations and some calculations of these aspects mentioned above but also examples of use of E2U ™ yeasts in oenology.