Development and application of CRISPR/Cas in grapevine

The ISOPlexis – Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Technology, University of Madeira, is a research unit that develops activities in the fields of Sustainable Agriculture, Agri-food Technology and Bioeconomy, with focus on agrodiversity monitoring and phenotyping,

Today the knowledge in terms of molecular composition of the colloidal matrix is ​​not enough in order to control its stability, according to the number of winemaking and wine stabilization processes. The physico-chemical processes during the winemaking change the composition and quantity of wine macromolecules. The goal today is to determine which analytical techniques will allow to discriminate these winemaking processes in order to better understand their impact on colloidal matrix stability as well as which molecules are responsible for its instabilities. METHODS: Wines obtained after conventional winemaking were subjected to different fining and chemical stabilization treatments. Different methods were used to investigate the wine macromolecular composition and stability after chemical stabilization, including quantitative and qualitative analyzes of total soluble polysaccharides by extraction under acidified ethanol, and by size exclusion separation as well as qNMR metabolomics. RESULTS: Observation of a slight difference at the quantitative level using classical analysis between the winemaking processes was observed as well as a strong discrimination by qNMR metabolomics.

The wine industry works to minimize pesticides and adapt to climate change. Breeding programs have developed disease-resistant grape varieties, particularly against downy and powdery mildew, to minimize pesticide applications [1]. However, their enological potential remains underexplored.

Hanseniaspora vineae (Hv) is a fermenting non-Saccharomyces yeast that compared to Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) present some peculiar features on its metabolism that make it attractive for its use in wine production. Among them, it has been reported a faster yeast lysis and release of polysaccharides, as well as increased ß-glucosidase activity. Hv also produces distinctive aroma compounds, including elevated levels of fermentative compounds such as ß-phenylethyl acetate and norisoprenoids like safranal. However, it is known for its high nutritional requirements, resulting in prolonged and sluggish fermentations, even when complemented with Sc strain and nutrients.

The South African Table grape industry has to expand to new markets with high quality niche products, but limited water availability threatens sustainable production. To overcome this challenge and to obtain high-quality products for the new markets, require constant technological advancement. Currently, limited available scientific information about growth balances and physiology and especially grape quality parameters, hinders technological advancement and thus efficient regulatory management of the morphological, chemical, and pathological status of table grapes, especially in response to abiotic factors.