THE BILATERAL RESEARCH AND INNOVATION PROJECT NARD – TUBITAK
(MOLDOVA – TÜRKIYE)
Title of the Project: „Detecting Minute Spoilage in Wine Through a Handheld Device in the Field„
NARD Project No: 23.80013.5107.4TR
TUBITAK Project No: 122N921
Partners involved in the project:
| Partner Number | Country | Full Name of Partner Organization |
Organisation Type |
Name of Principal Investigator |
| 1 | Moldova | Technical University of Moldova | University | Assoc. Prof. Dan Zgardan |
| 2 | Türkiye | Bilkent University | University | Asst. Prof. Fatih İnci |
Project duration: 24 months
Start date: January 2023
End date: December 2024
The scope of the project is development a handheld device that can operate isothermal nucleic acid reactions to detect wine pathogens will be developed and tested in the field.
Economical impact of the project: This project will permit the wine-makers to take timely and proper measures for the control, thereby preventing wine spoilage or quality decline, without investing significant amount of budget into expensive RT-PCR or traditional microbiology tests, which can be an overwhelming burden for small and medium enterprises. Availability of this device for wine-makers will help minimizing economic losses of the wine producers, caused by wine spoilage. The device will be deployed potentially to any wine-producing facilities at different stages of wine production, ultimately standardizing the wine spoilage protocols in the industry. The intellectual property (IP) and research findings of this project will be secured with two international patents. Moreover, this project would strengthen both countries’ competitiveness in the agriculture and revitalize this sector by developing high-end innovations that meet the needs of both sites.
During of the implementation of this project a positive control DNA library isolated from wine contaminated with wine spoilage microorganisms (Brettanomyces, Acetobacter, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus) was obtained. DNA samples (Table 1) and microorganisms cultures (Table 2) are available upon request.
Mitina, I.; Grajdieru, C.; sturza, R.; Mitin, V.; Rubtov, S.; Balanuta, A.; Behta, E.; Deaghileva, A.; Inci, F.; Haciosmanoğlu, N.; Zgardan, D. Molecular Detection of Acetobacter aceti and Acetobacter pasteurianus at Different Stages of Wine Production. Foods 2025, 14, 132. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14010132.
- Mitina, I.; Grajdieru, C.; Sturza, R.; Mitin, V.; Rubtov, S.; Balanuta, A.; Behta, E.; Inci, F.; Hacıosmanoğlu, N.; Zgardan, D. The Brettanomyces bruxellensis Contamination of Wines: A Case Study of Moldovan Micro-Winery. Beverages 2025, 11, 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages11010003