Ana Boban, mag. chem. spent two weeks on training in the field of metabolomics at the Research and Innovation Center – Fondazione Edmund Mach, Italy. In the period from February 4 to 18 in 2023, Ana analyzed samples from the project using UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS. Through the analysis, we gained insight into the composition and concentration of lipids and amino acids, which are metabolic products of isolated autochthonous non-Saccharomyces yeasts. The host and mentor at the training was Dr Urska Vrhovsek.
Ana Boban, mag. chem., PhD student at the HRZZ project “Impact of native non-Saccharomyces yeasts on wine aromas- WINE AROMAS” successfully defended the topic of her doctoral dissertation entitled “Impact of indigenous non-Saccharomyces yeasts on the aroma profile of young wine from ‘Maraština’ cv. (Vitis vinifera L.)” on January 16, 2023.
The public defence of the topic of the doctoral dissertation was held at the Faculty of Food and Biotechnology of the University of Zagreb in front of the Committee for Postgraduate Studies and the Committee for the Defense of the Topic composed of:
Prof Karin Kovačević Ganić; Faculty of Food and Biotechnology, Zagreb
Dr Irena Budić-Leto, senior scientist; Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation, Split
Prof Vlatka Petravić Tominac; Faculty of Food and Biotechnology, Zagreb
Prof Jasenka Gajdoš Kljusurić; Faculty of Food and Biotechnology, Zagreb
Dr Vesna Milanović, research associate; Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
and under mentorship: Dr Irena Budić-Leto, senior scientist; Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation, Split.
Scientific paper is publish in the journal Metabolites on the topic of targeted and non-targeted profiling of metabolites of Maraština wine produced by spontaneous fermentation from different growing areas of Dalmatia.
Boban, A.; Vrhovsek, U.; Carlin, S.; Mucalo, A.; Budić-Leto, I. A Targeted and an Untargeted Metabolomics Approach to the Volatile Aroma Profile of Young ‘Maraština’ Wines. Metabolites2022, 12, 1295. (IF=5.581, Q2).
We participated in the jubilee 10th International Congress of Food Technologists, Biotechnologists and Nutritionists, which was held in Zagreb from November 29 to December 2, 2022. We presented part of the results from the WINE AROMAS project in two poster sections.
Innovation section:
V. Milanović, F. Cardinali, A. Boban, J. Gajdoš Kljusurić, A. Mucalo, A. Osimani, L. Aquilanti, C. Garofalo and I. Budić-Leto
Oenological characterization of non-Saccharomyces yeasts isolated from Croatian white grape variety Maraština
Section Nutrition, Health and Consumer:
A. Boban, U. Vrhovsek, S. Carlin, A. Mucalo and I. Budić-Leto
A targeted and untargeted approach to volatile metabolite characterization of “Maraština” wines produced by spontaneous fermentation
On October 5, 2022, two more diploma theses were defended at the Polytechnic University of Marche, Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Ancona, Italy as part of the research on the WINE AROMAS project under the mentorship of Dr Vesna Milanović.
The diploma thesis entitled Clonal selection of non-Saccharomyces yeast isolated from Maraština grapes located in wine growing region of Northern Dalmatia (Croatia) was defended by student Eduardo Corvatta. Student Tommaso Cechini defended his diploma thesis entitled Oenological characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains obtained fromMaraština grapes located inwine-growing region of Central and Southern Dalmatia (Croatia).
On September 30, 2022, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., in Marmontova Street in Split, we participated in the project named: Reconnect Science with the blue society (Blue-connect) as part of the HORIZON MSCA Researchers’ Night with the theme “The role of yeast in wine production“. We presented the project with a powerpoint presentation and brought different species of autochthonous yeasts from the Maraština variety that we developed on solid nutrient media. We presented the experiment of alcoholic fermentation of sugar to the general public in an interesting way, and with simple physicochemical methods, we approached the measurements that we perform on must and wine in the Enological Laboratory.
In the period from September 26 to September 30, project collaborator Dr Vesna Milanović held a research workshop on yeast growth kinetics at the Institute for Adriatic Crops. During the workshop, we worked with selected non-Saccharomyces yeasts taken from a collection of autochthonous yeasts at the Institute. Yeasts were isolated from Maraština grapes during the first year of the project, identified and tested for basic oenological characteristics. During the workshop, we carried out analyses related to the determination and monitoring of yeast growth kinetics using several different techniques, such as seeding and counting live yeasts on solid nutrient media, preparation of yeast inoculum for inoculation into sterile Maraština, and including other important steps related to growth and yeast development. Acquired microbiological skills and knowledge are of great use for the methodology of monitoring alcoholic fermentation experiments.
As part of the research on the WINE AROMAS project, the first thesis entitled “Isolation and identification of non-Saccharomyces yeasts from grapes of the Maraština variety” was defended.
On December 5 2021, student Pierpaolo Nocchi successfully defended his diploma thesis at the Università Politecnica della Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie Alimentari e Ambientali, Ancona, Italy under the supervision of a project associate, Dr Vesne Milanović, with the commentary of Dr Federica Cardinali, and the mentorship of Dr Cristiane Garofalo. These are also the first results from the project presented in the diploma thesis.
Student Giacomo Migliorini defended his graduation bachelor thesis entitled Oenological characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from Maraština grapes at the Polytechnic University of Marche, Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Ancona, Italy under the mentorship of Dr Vesna Milanović. This is the second diploma thesis defended from the research results of our collaborators on the WINE AROMAS project.
In the journal, Food Research International (I.F.= 7,425, Q1) a scientific paper is published on the topic of molecular identification and characterization of autochthonous microbiota identified for the first time from the Maraština variety.
Milanović, V., Cardinali, F., Ferrocino, I., Boban, A., Franciosa, I., Gajdoš Kljusurić, J., Mucalo, A., Osimani, A., Aquilanti, L., Garofalo, C., Budić-Leto, I. Croatian white grape variety Maraština: first taste of its indigenous mycobiota. Food Research International 162, 111917, 2022 (I.F.=7.425, Q1).
