Comets and BIOProtection – more alike than you would think
· By Bernard Mocke
The conclusion of a recent sporting event involving an elongated ellipsoidal ball made me think of events that occur periodically. One of those events is a celestial body that shows up every 75 to 79 years. If you’ve guessed that it’s Halley’s Comet I’m talking about, well done. And yes, its orbit around the sun is ellipsoidal, like the ball mentioned earlier.
Sometimes, really cool things only come around once in a lifetime
Halley’s Comet, also known as 1P/Halley and named after Edmond Halley, was first spotted (by earthlings) in 240 BC and the last time in 1986. If comets are your thing and you’d like to see it when it comes to visit our neck of the woods again, then you’ll have to stick around until 2061. Until then, we can probably agree on two things. The sighting of Halley’s comet as it passes ‘close’ by earth is not only a spectacular occurrence, but also quite a rare one. And this is why I’m making the comparison between a rarely seen object consisting of dust, rock, and ice that orbits the sun at an incredible speed, and LAFFORT’s BIOProtection duo Zymaflore® EGIDETDMP and Zymaflore® KHIOMP.
Spoilage microbes and lower SO2 – no sweat!
Bioprotection is the use of living organisms to occupy an ecological niche, thereby combating other unwanted organisms in agricultural crops and foodstuffs. This is not a new concept and it’s widely used in the food and drink industry to fight pathogens and spoilage organisms. The wine industry is not exempt from spoilage critters, and this is where our BIOProtection products, which is a relatively new concept in winemaking, will enable winemakers to take the fight to unwanted microbes.
Zymaflore® EGIDETDMP (specific strains of Torulaspora delbrueckii and Metschnikowia pulcherrima) and Zymaflore® KHIOMP (specific strain of Metschnikowia pulcherrima) particularly shine where a reduced sulphur dioxide theme is in play. The early application of Zymaflore® EGIDETDMP on harvesting equipment, or any equipment that comes into contact with grapes, allows the winemaker to counteract increased microbial pressure due to lower (or no) sulphur dioxide levels. And when I’m talking about microbial pressure, I’m talking about all the nastiness such as VA, ethyl acetate, off-odours and any other organoleptic defect associated with unwanted LAB, AAB, fungi, and various spoilage yeasts from genera such as Candida, Hanseniaspora, and Zygosaccharomyces.
When oxygen consumption in must is a must
While Zymaflore® EGIDETDMP works best when applied to equipment at any point until you get right up to the cellar door, Zymaflore® KHIOMP works best when applied in the cellar to grape and musts destined for pre-fermentative actions at low temperatures. And with low, I mean 2 to 8 °C. We know that there is in increase in oxygen uptake at lower must temperatures and it follows that reduced sulphur dioxide levels in such a scenario does not bode well for anti-oxidative protection. This is where cool cat Zymaflore® KHIOMP not only offers anti-microbial protection (i.e., limiting the risk of spontaneous fermentation), but also anti-oxidative protection due to its rapid consumption of high levels of dissolved oxygen at low temperatures. Cool indeed.
Venturing into the vineyards
Where LAFFORT’s BIOProtection efforts as described above already starts at harvesting and harvesting equipment, ALMAVITIS® takes it a step (even further) back. Any grapevine is typically under various stresses, one of them of course being pests. By assessing the physiological state of the vine, climate conditions, and soil life and health, ALMAVITIS® can help the vine to cope better with various stresses. Contact your Laffort guy or gal if you have any questions, or click here for more information.
Now, to get back to the Zymaflore® EGIDETDMP and Zymaflore® KHIOMP duo. I’m comparing these two incredible products to Halley’s Comet for several reason. These yeasts are natural products, just like Halley’s Comet. Their effect on grape and must quality, and ultimately wine quality, is spectacular, just as is the sighting of Halley’s Comet. Both products are non-fermentative, as is Halley’s Comet – I’m really reaching here.
Finally, the pièce de resistance. Just like seeing Halley’s Comet with the naked eye is a very rare event, it is also exceedingly rare for a duo of products to be released that has such a Deep Impact (movie reference pun intended) on wine quality.
But remember, while Halley’s Comet comes and goes, these yeasts will always be available.
