Three notes on microbial biotechnology applied to food
- Alberto Garre from Wageningen University in the Netherlands has presented a computer tool baptized as Biogrowth that allows studying and modeling microbial growth in a much simpler way. This tool can have various applications in the food industry but also in other bioprocesses in which microbial growth is an important parameter.
- Victor Freire of the University of Zaragoza has commented on the development of High Voltage Electrical Pulses to remove microbial contaminants from food. Using the model microorganism Staphylococcus aureus have verified that these pulses cause the appearance of pores in the bacterial membranes, which causes the release of components from the cellular interior and thus causing the death of the bacteria.
- Marina Ruiz-Muñoz from the University of Cádiz has told us about the identification of yeasts in wines from Amontilla with a second biological aging. Amontillados wines are a type of Sherry wine that have a biological maturation stage and later have a physical-chemical maturation stage. However, they have found that in some of the butts (barrels) where this physical-chemical maturation took place, a veil of yeasts has appeared on the surface of the wine, with which a phenomenon of second biological maturation was taking place. They have studied what type of yeasts grow and have found that they are capable of withstanding up to 20º of alcohol. They also seem to metabolize some series of compounds further refining the wine. Perhaps this is the beginning of a new variety of wines in the Jerez area.
Summary prepared by Manuel Sánchez of the Miguel Hernández University.
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