Possible use of Biolog methodology for monitoring yeast presence in alcoholic fermentation for wine-making

Aims:  A research was undertaken to explore the possibility to use Biolog system of microbial metabolic characterization for the monitoring of yeast population evolution during alcoholic fermentation for wine production. Methods and Results:  An application of Biolog system was employed for the characterization of yeasts of oenological interest, in pure cultures and mixed consortia, in various cell concentrations. The system’s capacity to discriminate among different cell concentrations of the same yeast strain was ascertained, along with the capacity to discriminate between mixed and pure populations. Conclusions:  The tested application of Biolog system resulted suitable for a quick recognition (24 h) of the presence of starter cultures within mixed populations of autochthonous yeasts. Such discrimination was confirmed with the one resulting from molecular techniques. Significance and Impact of the Study:  The study suggests the possibility to employ Biolog system for an early monitoring of yeast evolution in modern wine-making fermentations, where specialized yeasts are more and more frequently used as starters and their ability to overcome autochthonous yeast populations is crucial.