Bacterial spoilage of wines produced in a micro-winery

Abstract

The production of quality wine relies on maintaining proper microbiological control throughout the wine-making process. There are numerous bacteria which can cause various wine spoilage issues, thus reducing wine quality and value. An array of methods based on the detection of the DNA of wine spoilage microorganisms has become a promising alternative to traditional microbiological methods, due to their high speed, reproducibility and reliability. The goal of this work was screening the wines produced in the micro-winery for the most common wine spoilage bacteria to elaborate an efficient strategy of microbiological control. For this, twenty-five wines produced in the micro-winery from the grapes harvested in different regions of the Republic of Moldova were screened by real-time PCR for the presence of Lactobacteria/Pediococcus, Acetic Acid Bacteria and Oenococcus oeni, using a commercial kit. The most commonly found wine spoilage bacteria were Oenococcus oeni, while Lactobacteria/Pediococcus were almost undetectable. These findings can help to develop proper strategies of microbiological control to optimize the process of wine-making and highlight the importance of microbiological monitoring for taking timely decisions to prevent economic losses.