Brettanomyces bruxellensis growth detection using interdigitated microelectrode based sensors by means of impedance analysis

Brettanomyces bruxellensis is considered one of the most relevant spoilage yeasts in the production of alcoholic beverages, especially for wine and cider. During fermentation and later storage, these yeasts can cause changes in the characteristics of the product, ruining the aroma and taste. The presence of Brettanomyces causes a decrease in the quality of the final products and important economic losses. The current work presents a detection method based on impedance spectroscopy analysis using label-free interdigitated microelectrode (IDE) based sensors for spoilage yeast detection. Different conditions (static and stirring) were tested in Brettanomyces cultures inside reactors in order to evaluate the growth behavior. Our results indicate a faster response and an 8% increase of the relative variation of the impedance under stirring condition due to biofilm formation onto the surface of the sensors. Equivalent circuit analysis also confirmed that the difference was caused by the larger biofilm formation under dynamic conditions. The results suggest that this technology could be applied for the early detection of spoilage yeast in wine and cider industries, providing more efficient methods to achieve a higher quality of the final products.