Project: NANOtechnology based BIOsensors for WINE quality control

Goal. The NANOBIOWINE project focuses on research at the frontiers of knowledge to develop an integrated nanotechnology based electochemical biosensing apparatus intended for monitoring of wine bioprocess and quality control, by allowing to easily, inexpensively and rapidly quantify relevant analytes. The technological aim will be achieved by multidisciplinary approaches exploiting knowledge in biotechnology, electrochemistry, surface and material science. Innovative aspects of the project are in the choice of target enzymes, that will be screened and engineered to improve performances and in the design of more efficient electron transfer systems and nanostructured electrode materials. Integration of analytical capabilities into a single apparatus will enable diffusion of direct at cellar analyses with significant benefit for both winegrowers and the industry involved in production and commercialization of analytical devices. _x000D_Background. Mankind's history of wine dates back to over 6,000 years ago, and although technologies have changed, the basic process used by winegrowers reCOed the same. Because its alcohol content acts as a preservative, wine was more reliable than the often contaminated water supplies thus becoming a very important economic good. Because crushed grapes contain all that is needed to create wine, ancient wine producers simply allowed nature to take its course. Later on, people realized that by intervening at certain times, they could make a wine with more predictable characteristics. Major developments followed Pasteur’s description of the science behind fermentation and wine production in 1857. Millennial experiences and technological developments have enabled winegrowers to develop procedures and fermentation protocols that yield products of predictable quality and have made available several procedures, though still complex expensive and cumbersome, to optimize the entire bioprocess and assess the final quality of the product. _x000D_Wineries are not absent from the influence of biosensors development; wine production involves a strict monitoring and control of a series of parameters for a long period that is from reception of the grapes to bottling of final products. The number of parameters to be monitored in wine production and the complex matrix of wine, call for fast, selective, precise and sensitive methods; among the various analytical methods, several biosensors have been described over the past years to determine some of the most interesting and characterizing parameters, namely: ethanol degree, organic acids, volatile acidity, glycerol, reducing sugars, acetaldehyde, sulfur dioxide and polyphenols._x000D_Availability of monitoring procedures to be easily and rapidly performed directly at the site of fermentation by a low cost method, would be of great importance to enhance the possibility to drive fermentation bioprocesses accurately not only in very large scale productions but also in medium and small scale ones, that are frequently those aiming to produce higher quality wines. _x000D_Many key parameters in wine bioprocess monitoring and quality assessment are at present determined by cumbersome methods that require long and complex manipulations of samples, performed by specialized technicians, using non portable, expensive equipments and reagents. These problems could be overcome by the realization of specific pocket-sized biosensors capable of simplified in-field measurement on undiluted samples. Most of these requirements can be met admirable by enzyme electrodes. However to gain the confidence of the market they need also to be inexpensive, reliable, robust and demonstrable superior to existing methods._x000D_The consortium. The NANOBIOWINE consortium includes 5 Ps (2 research centers and 3 SMEs) that will cooperate to realize an integrated apparatus enabling winemakers and other subjects to determine rapidly and without the need of complex analytical skills, a number of chemical parameters that are relevant in the monitoring of winemaking and in the quality assessment of wine. This goal will be achieved by integrating complementary skills possessed by the Ps in the different disciplines involved in the project. The major innovation offered by integration of Ps in project activities is related to the selection of an optimised combination of enzymes and mediators coupled on the electrochemical transducer surface as well as electrode materials specifically designed to improve performances within an integrated apparatus. This will be carried out by improving each item separately and then by combining the different items in a portable measuring apparatus, to be used directly by winemakers with evident economic and technical advantage._x000D_

Acronym	NANOBIOWINE2011 (Reference Number: 6384)
Duration	01/09/2011 - 30/06/2014
Project Topic	This project aims to develop an integrated biosensing apparatus enabling to monitor wine production and quality. Innovation will be in the choice of engineered enzymes to improve performances and in the design of more efficient electron transfer systems and nanostructured electrode materials.
Project Results (after finalisation)	A FIA wine analyser prototype in which the sensors to which VTT contributed are integrated was built during the project. VTT collaborated with the Sapienza Università di Roma and Dropsense which resulted in two functional biosensors for wine quality control. _x000D_The two functional biosensors for wine quality control are an amperometric biosensor to determine the total phenol index in wine based on VTT’sTrametes hirsuta laccase (ThL) and an uronic acid sensor based on the Uronate dehydrogenase. _x000D_
Network	Eurostars
Call	Eurostars Cut-Off 6

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
5	CPC Biotech S.r.l.	Coordinator	Italy
5	DropSens	Partner	Spain
5	Sapienza Università di Roma	Partner	Italy
5	Seleo Engineering S.r.l.	Partner	Italy
5	VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland	Partner	Finland