P14: Innovative biotechnological approaches to improve the quality and safety of wines from Puglia: Selection of indigenous Oenococcus oeni strains as industrial starter

The globalization of the wine industry has necessitated modernization of winemaking, the oldest form and use of biotechnology. Recent advances of science and technology have dramatically accelerated this modernization, providing to winemakers knowledge to improve the reliability of fermentation and can generate appropriate starter cultures for wine production targeted to specific markets. Therefore the modern biotechnology has accelerated the development of new tools for growers at a time when the need for innovation, driven by global competition, is high.

In this contest, the aim of this study was to make the molecular and technological characterization of indigenous strains of Oenococcus oeni, isolated from wines of Salento (Puglia, Italy), with excellent winemaking skills to produce wines.

In order to develop molecular profiles that differentiate and characterize the different O. oeni strains, the genotypic analysis by the AFLP technique was applied. Several criteria has to consider to select bacterial strains for specific winemaking conditions. These include: resistance to ethanol and SO₂, growth at low pH, absence of negative traits to the health of consumers (biogenic amines [BA], ethyl carbamate), enzymatic activities related to wine aroma.

These selection criteria were applied to 18 strains, chosen from different subgroups of the cluster obtained by AFLP, allowing to select some of them  which may have a good fermentation performance and that could be used for the enhancement and improvement of the wines from Puglia.