Discovering the Influence of Microorganisms on Wine Color.

Flavor, composition and quality of wine are influenced by microorganisms present on the grapevine surface which are transferred to the must during vinification. The microbiota is highly variable with a prevalence of non- yeasts, whereas is present at low number. For wine production an essential step is the fermentation carried out by different starter cultures of alone or in mixed fermentation with non- species that produce wines with significant differences in chemical composition.

Promoting Candida zemplinina adhesion on oak chips: A strategy to enhance esters and glycerol content of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo organic wines.

In this study cell surface hydrophobicity and the ability to adhere on abiotic surfaces (polystyrene plates, stainless steel and oak chips) of 10 Candida zemplinina strains were assessed. Moreover, the impact of C. zemplinina cells adhered on oak surface on fermentation kinetics and volatile profile of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo organic wines was evaluated.

γ-aminobutyric acid production by Kluyveromyces marxianus strains.

Aims: Kluyveromyces marxianus dairy strains were tested for γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production. The genes involved in GABA catabolism (UGA1 and UGA2) and anabolism (GAD1) were found in K. marxianus genome.

Correlation between IRC7 gene expression and 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains.

Volatile thiols are not present in must but are synthesized and released by wine yeasts during alcoholic fermentation. In this study, autochthonous and commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were characterized for the expression of the main genes involved in thiols metabolism and their production in wine. New primer sets were developed on the basis of the S288c genome to evaluate the expression of Cys3, Cys4, MET17 and IRC7 genes.