Today, we dive into the intriguing world of wine, exploring why some bottles can unpleasantly surprise your senses with aromas resembling barnyards or dirty socks. Drawing from my doctoral research on the pesky wine spoilage yeast, Brettanomyces bruxellensis, at Washington State University under Dr. Edwards, I'll unpack how this microorganism infiltrates wineries and impacts your wine’s bouquet. From unsettling findings in vineyard pumice to the challenges of eradicating Brett from oak barrels, join me as we unravel the complexities of wine microbiology.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• What causes wine spoilage
• Used barrels, insects, and bulk wine
• Compounds produced by Brettanomyces and their effects
• Study on the survival of Brettanomyces in vineyard conditions
• … and how to control Brettanomyces populations

Jump to:

(03:22) How compounds in wine create various aromas.

(07:20) Studying Brettanomyces survival in Washington vineyards.

(10:16) Heating methods and effects on oak barrels.

(12:53) How Brettanomyces populations in oak barrels are affected.

(18:26) This episode’s song and mantra.

This episodes song and artist:

• SOULMATES
• CΔTΔLYST

Links mentioned in this episode:

‘Survival of Brettanomyces bruxellensis in grape pomace and reduction of populations by application of heat and sulfites’ by Z.M. Cartwright and B.R. Bondada

‘Application of Heated Water to Reduce Populations of Brettanomyces bruxellensis Present in Oak Barrel Staves’ by Z.M. Cartwright and Charles G Edwards

Connect with the show

AQUALAB

I'm your host, Zachary Cartwright, and today marks our 40th episode - a special milestone. To celebrate, we've got an equally special guest joining us, Ashutosh Jaiswal, a wizard in the world of food safety and a driving force in quality assurance with over a decade of experience at Sri Dut India Private Limited.

Ashutosh shares his journey, from his formative years influenced by family ties to agriculture and the food industry to his current role, where he passionately oversees quality assurance and food safety. He's not only worked to earn the prestigious American Institute of Baking Certification and the National Confederation of Indian Industry Food Safety Award but also poured half his salary into food safety education to fuel his dreams.

Today, we delve deep into the science and innovation with Michelle Schwenk, the president and food science consultant at Bellis Food Solutions in Decatur, Illinois. Bellis is a company renowned for its insights into formula development, technical guidance, and testing for the food industry, working with everything from candy to dairy.

We reveal the joy of coupling water science with food processing. From the process of creating unique food products to understanding the importance of water activity and isotherms in maintaining food quality and predicting shelf life - we've got it all.

Michelle's got some fascinating stories about troubleshooting tricky food formulas and how her expertise in water activity came into play. We'll hear about the intriguing transformation story of sticky gummies and the low sugar product category, which Michelle describes as a challenge in the food industry.

So food nerds and innovators alike, let's get ready to dive into an enriching conversation filled with the complexities of food science, obstacles, and advances in our industry. This is an episode every food-preneur be they seasoned or budding shouldn't miss.