Mauricio Ramírez Castrillón, professor at the School of Microbiology and member of the Biochemistry and Microbiology Research Group (GIBIM), participated in the 27th Latin American Congress of Microbiology in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The professor presented a poster entitled “Monitoring wine production using cellular and molecular techniques,” which won an award. In this category, the abstract, poster design, and presentation to an evaluation committee were evaluated. A total of 310 posters were presented.
The results shown in the poster demonstrate two techniques used to monitor yeast inoculants during alcoholic fermentation, in this case related to wine production. The first technique was MSP-PCR Fingerprinting, a molecular technique that generates genetic profiles that discriminate at the strain level. The second technique was flow cytometry, which shows the physiological state of each yeast cell according to different established parameters. Additionally, measurements of fermentation performance parameters were taken. To this end, laboratory-scale fermentations of Isabella grape musts were carried out using different combinations of yeast inoculum of the same species Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one specific for wine, one for beer, and one for cider, where the aim was to trace the strain for wine.
In general, fermentations showed differences in all combinations, and these changes could be associated with both techniques evaluated, although with greater complexity in the molecular technique compared to the cellular technique. In conclusion, cytometry is proposed as a possible procedure for monitoring fermentations quickly and easily.
“This international event allowed for the visibility of research projects carried out at the UIS, positioning the academic program, the School, the Faculty, and the University among the references in Latin America in the field of Microbiology,” said Professor Mauricio.
The authors of this research are: Dania Alejandra Holguín-Espejo, Lenner Andrey Hernández Acevedo, Yurley Natalia Suárez Diaz, Denis Paola Muñoz-Machacón, Lilia Carolina Rojas Pérez (Chemical Engineering), and Professor José Arturo Gutierrez Triana, affiliated with the School of Microbiology.
Congratulations!
