M.Sc. / The South African wine industry is well respected internationally for producing high quality wines. The possible adulteration of these wines can lead to loss of reputation and a loss of sales and could also be dangerous to consumer’s health. Multi-element analysis of wines is one way of implementing quality control and the same multi-element data can also be used to prove the point of origin. The metal content of the fruit (grapes) should represent the metal content of the soil in which the plants (vineyards) were grown. An Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) was used with correct internal standard and interference correction to obtain reliable concentrations for 27 elements (Li, B, Al, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, Ce, Nd, W, Tl, Pb and U) of 1:1 diluted wines and microwave digested vineyard soil from four South-African wine-producing regions: Stellenbosch, Swartland, Robertson and Walker Bay. This multi-element data was then interpreted using multivariate statistical analysis in order to determine which elements have the ability to discriminate between the four regions. Li, B, Sc, Ni, Mn, Co, Cu, and Rb were the elements that were identified to have discrimination ability. 96% of wines and 100% of vineyard soils were correctly classified. Indirectly it has been proven that the metal content of the soil can be correlated to the metal content of the wine. This methodology can be reliably used in industry for quality control and routine provenance determination

In this study white-rot fungi were investigated for their efficiency at distillery wastewater remediation and the production of laccase as a valuable by-product. Distillery wastewaters are high in organic load and low in pH. The presence of phenolic compounds can lead to extremely colour-rich wastewaters and can be toxic to microorganisms. The presence of the inorganic ions may also affect biological treatment. White-rot fungi are unique among eukaryotic or prokaryotic microbes in possessing powerful oxidative enzyme systems that can degrade lignin to carbon dioxide. These ligninolytic enzymes, such as lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase and laccase, are capable of degrading a vast range of toxic, recalcitrant environmental pollutants and this makes the white-rot fungi strong candidates for the bioremediation of polluted soils and waters. The laccase enzyme alone has shown remediation potential in wastewaters such as beer production effluent, olive mill wastewater, alcohol distillery wastes, dye-containing wastewaters from the textile industry as well as wastewaters from the paper and pulp industry. It has been shown to be capable of remediating soils and waters polluted with chlorinated phenolic compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, nitrosubstituted compounds and fungicides, herbicides and insecticides.

Experiences in treating wine distillery wastewaters (WDWs) contribute to the field of oenology as many oenologists are concerned with the selection, efficiency and economy of their wastewaters. Wine distillery wastewaters are strongly acidic, have high chemical oxygen demand (COD), high polyphenol content and are highly variable. Primary attention was focussed on sustainable biological treatment of raw wine distillery wastewater (RWDW) and fungally pre-treated wine distillery wastewater (FTWDW) by energy-efficient high rate anaerobic digestion (AD). This study also explored the development of a novel dual-stage anaerobic digestion ultrafiltration (ADUF) process, using a ceramic submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) in the treatment of both RWDW and FTWDW. The first stage was for the selection of microorganisms that were able to treat the toxic pollutants from WDWs. It was operated at a high feed-to-microorganism ratio. The second stage, a secondary digester, was operated like a typical membrane bioreactor at a low feed-to-microorganism ratio to sustain a stable efficient population for a long period. The characteristics of RWDW were as follows: pH 3.83, 15 000 mg/l soluble COD (CODs) and 5229 mg/l of phenols. After pre-treatment of RWDW with Trametes pubescens, starting parameters for FTWDW were as follows: pH 6.7, 7000 mg/l soluble COD (CODS) and 1440 mg/l of phenols. During operation of a high rate anaerobic digester for RWDW treatment, K2HPO4 was required for buffering the digester. Volatile fatty acid concentrations were <300 mg/l throughout the study, indicating degradation of organic acids present. Mean CODS removal efficiency for the 130 day study was 87 %, while the mean polyphenol removal efficiency was 85 %. Addition of 50 mg/l Fe3+ increased the removal efficiencies of CODS to 97 % and of polyphenols to 99 %. High removal efficiencies of CODS and polyphenols were attributed to the addition of macronutrients and micronutrients that caused pH stability and stimulated microbial activity. The CODS removal efficiency of high rate anaerobic digestion of FTWDW reached 99.5%. During FTWDW digestion, pH buffering was achieved using K2HPO4. A combination of a SMBR and a secondary digester was tested for the treatment of RWDW and FTWDW during a 30 day study. Results for RWDW showed that pH buffering was achieved by dosing the feed stream with CaCO3 and K2HPO4. Buffering proved to be significant for optimum performance of the system in removal of soluble CODS, and volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Different batches of RWDW used for feeding the reactor had variable compositions with respect to concentrations of nitrates, ammonium and total phenolic compounds. Ammonium accumulated in the secondary digester after 14 days of system operation, indicated the time required for the establishment of anaerobic conditions in the system. Dosing of the SMBR treating FTWDW with CaCO3 and K2HPO4 buffered the pH; iii this proved significant for optimum performance of the system in removal of CODS. The system eliminated an average of 86 (± 4) % of CODS present in the FTWDW. The residual CODS levels in the effluent were approximately 400 mg/l, significantly lower than the concentrations observed when treating RWDW, indicating that fungal pre-treatment might have provided additional nutrients for removal of recalcitrant components of the wastewater. The resulting effluent was rich in nitrates and phosphates and might be used as a fertiliser. Alternatively, a membrane process, such as reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF) could be applied to raise the water quality to meet the levels required for reuse. Biomass samples were obtained from the four treatment systems and population shifts characterization using phospholipids fatty acids (PLFA) and 16S rRNA analysis to provide an indication of limitations within the microbial population. The values of the concentrations of the individual PLFAs detected in the samples indicated that ten bacterial species were present, with the GC content of the 16S rRNA increasing from 1 to 10. Analysis of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis DGGE data indicated that the composition of the archeal community changed the consortia used for both RWDW and FTWDW treatment. Changes in band intensities indicated the presence of different components of the archeal communities. The results were not conclusive in terms of species identity as cloning, sequencing and phylogenetic analyses were not performed, but they did indicate microbial population shifts and species diversity for high rate anaerobic digestion. The results also confirmed prevalence of relatively few species during operation of SMBRs for treatment of RWDW and FTWDW, which suggested that the microorganisms that survived were either tolerant of toxic components of RWDW and FTWDW or they were able to remove polyphenols.

In South Africa, wastewater disposal in the wine and distilling industry is undergoing a profound transformation as a result of fundamental changes in regulations and license requirements. To deal with this problem conventional Waste Stabilisation Ponding systems have been used by the industry together with irrigation and evaporation disposal practises. Although effective in the evaporation and containment disposal functions, these pond systems are generally not properly designed and/or managed, resulting in overloading and, at times, the generation of seriously offensive odour problems. Preliminary studies on the feasibility of utilising the Advanced Integrated Wastewater Ponding System as a core treatment technology in winery wastewater treatment were conducted. Results indicated that specific problems had to be addressed before successful ponding treatment could be achieved. This research programme undertook an investigation of the performance of a demonstration ponding system treating household sewage, which formed the basis of the research due to limited experience reported on ponds treating wine industry wastewaters. Malfunctions identified were in correlation with the preliminary winery waste ponding survey, which included unstable fermentation pit functions and inadequate nutrient removal. Retrofitting the fermentation pit with a nylon net across the rising water column resulted in improved retention of active anaerobic sludge, especially during periods of system start-up and/or organic overloading. An investigation into nutrient removal utilising algal biomass provided a valuable contribution towards development of an independent nutrient removal system. Harvested algal biomass was passively manipulated to release polysaccharides under anoxic conditions, with subsequent use as a carbon source by denitrifying organisms. Following denitrification, the still viable algal cells were introduced into a High Rate Algal Pond raceway for photosynthetically produced alkalinity. This high pH environment resulted in induced calcium phosphate mineral formation and subsequent precipitation, as well as effective ammonia stripping from the water. Based on the novel positive research outcomes a decision was made to proceed to the construction of a pilot-scale integrated ponding system treating wastewater from a wine lees factory. The system linked the Anaerobic Baffle Reactor, for pre-treatment, with the improved Advanced Integrated Wastewater Ponding System. The potential of this system has shown that a Waste Stabilisation Ponding system can be engineered to treat wine industry wastewaters and thereby effectively reduce the organic and nutrient loads, by using low-cost retrofitted upgrading unit operations. Valuable algal biomass may also be recovered as a by-product of the treatment process.

Anualmente, a produção mundial de vinhos gera cerca de 20 milhões de toneladas de resíduos, os quais, na maior parte, são descartados no meio ambiente. Dados prévios demostraram que é possível obter-se compostos flavan-3-ol a partir de diferentes resíduos de vinificação, com significativa atividade antioxidante. Em vista disso, o objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar as atividades neuroprotetora, hepatoprotetora, genotóxica, mutagênica e citotóxica do extrato aquoso de sementes de resíduos de vinificação de Vitis labrusca, variedade Bordo, avaliando o mecanismo de ação do mesmo. Os resultados mostraram que o extrato minimiza os danos oxidativos aos lipídeos e proteínas em córtex cerebral, cerebelo, hipocampo, e no fígado de ratos tratados com pentilenotetrazol. Além disso, o extrato não alterou o comportamento locomotor dos ratos e não apresentou efeito genotóxico (ensaio cometa) ou mutagênico em linfócitos de ratos e células de levedura Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respectivamente. O tratamento com o extrato diminui a depleção das proteínas do complexo I da cadeia transportadora de elétrons na mitocôndria em células de neuroblastoma humano (SH-SY5Y) tratadas com H2O2. Em doses de 0,1 e 1mg/mL, o extrato mostrou-se citotóxico para as linhagens de câncer de fígado (HepG2) e de mama (MCF-7). Este efeito foi acompanhado pelo aumento da produção de óxido nítrico, da expressão de p53 e da fragmentação do DNA. Uma diminuição significativa nos níveis de expressão da PARP total foi observada na linhagem HepG2. Na linhagem MCF-7, o tratamento com o extrato de V. labrusca aumentou a expressão das proteínas Bax e AIF, e diminuiu a expressão da PARP total. A expressão da proteína Her-2 apresentou-se diminuída em células HepG2 e MCF-7 tratadas com o extrato. Estes resultados mostram importantes efeitos biológicos do extrato de resíduos de vinificação de V. labrusca, variedade Bordo. / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Every year, the worldwide wine production generates about 20 million tons of waste, which usually end up being discarded in the environment. Previous data showed that it is possible to obtain flavan-3-ol compounds from different winery wastes with significant antioxidant activity. Thus, the aim of this work was to investigate the neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, genotoxic, mutagenic and cytotoxic activities of aqueous winery seeds extract from Vitis labrusca, cv. Bordo. The results showed that the extract minimizes the oxidative damage to lipids and proteins in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus and liver of rats. Also, the extract did not alter locomotor behavior, and it was non-genotoxic (comet assay) or nonmutagenic in lymphocytes from rats, and in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, respectively. The treatment with the extract was able to prevent depletion of mitochondrial eletron transfer chain complex I proteins in neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) treated with H2O2. At doses of 0.1 and 1mg/mL, the extract was found to be cytotoxic to liver (HepG2) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cell lines. This effect was accompanied with an increase in nitric oxide production, increase in the expression of p53, and increase in DNA damage index. A significant decrease in the expression levels of total PARP was observed in HepG2 cell line. In MCF-7 cells, V. labrusca extract treatment increased the expression levels of Bax and AIF proteins, and decreased the expression levels of total PARP. The expression levels of Her-2 protein were found to be decreased in HepG2 and MCF-7 cells after V. labrusca extract treatment. These results show significant biological effects of V. labrusca winery wastes extract, cv. Bordo.

The master´s thesis is concerning about project proposal of wine tourism for small company. Specifically, it’s about analysis of current state and project proposal for firm ELWINE Velké Bílovice s.r.o. which focus on better propagation and higher sales of company products. This thesis uses mainly procedures and project management methods.

This thesis is concerned with the identification of the yeasts belonging to Saccharomyces species, which is participating in the particular fermentation phases of the white wine. The rapidity that we are able to identify the yeast strains is the significant factor for appreciation the fermantation proces quality as well as final product quality – the quality of wine. The molecular biology method developing is gradually limiting the using of traditional identification methods mainly because of their time intensity. In this thesis was used molecular method PCR-RFLP as an implement to quick and accurate identification of particular strains of yeasts. The specific DNA section was amplified by the help of PCR and consequently amenabled to the restrict analysis. The restrict endonukleas fissiled DNA to fragments specified for the certain strain of yeast. The fragments were detected by horizontal electrophoresis. To compare the fragments with type yeast fragments made us possible to identify the trast strain and its taxonomy classification. The literature search contains the basic information about the yeasts and their using, the information about wine making as well as the PCR-RFLP method principle.

This thesis deals with identification of wine yeasts isolated during fermentation process of wine cider and grapes of Sauvignon grape variety, grown in the integrated vineyard. The identification and taxonomic classification is faster and easier due to the progress of molecular methods. In this thesis PCR-RFLP method was used for identification of yeasts. Sequences of DNA specific for each species were analysed. These sequences were amplified by means of PCR method and by using ITS1 and ITS4 primers. In following step, they were put through the restrictiction analysis with five restriction endonucleases. Fragments of DNA were separated by horizontal electrophoresis. The electrophoreograms were evaluated by BioNumerics software and final dendrogram representing genetics similarity of isolated yeasts was created by using UPGMA claster analysis. The basic information about yeasts and their identification by molecular methods are described in the theoretical part of this thesis.

The area along the Virgin River, known as Utah's Dixie, is ideal for the culture of grapes. To utilize the natural resources, provide a cash crop for the Dixie communities, and make wine to be used in the Sacrament service; Mormon Church leaders called several expert horticulturists and vinters to Dixie. Great amounts of wine were produced in Dixie. The Church became the largest producer due to the great amounts of grapes paid as tithing. Wine was used in the Sacrament, and was a common drink in Dixie.The mines at Silver Reef were the principle market for Dixie wine. After they closed in the mid-1880's. Church leaders became aware of increasing numbers of cases of drunkenness among members and leaders. To combat this trend, the Church closed down its wine press, and preached abstinence from the pulpit. Dixie was unable to compete with cheap California wine. Moral pressure exerted by the Church and economic circumstances effectively ended the wine industry in Dixie although wine continues to be made on a personal basis to this day.

No description available.