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- ItemA review of the potential climate change impacts and adaptation options for European viticulture(Basel : MDPI, 2020) Santos, João A.; Fraga, Helder; Malheiro, Aureliano C.; Moutinho-Pereira, José; Dinis, Lia-Tânia; Correia, Carlos; Moriondo, Marco; Leolini, Luisa; Dibari, Camilla; Costafreda-Aumedes, Sergi; Kartschall, Thomas; Menz, Christoph; Molitor, Daniel; Junk, Jürgen; Beyer, Marco; Schultz, Hans R.Viticulture and winemaking are important socioeconomic sectors in many European regions. Climate plays a vital role in the terroir of a given wine region, as it strongly controls canopy microclimate, vine growth, vine physiology, yield, and berry composition, which together determine wine attributes and typicity. New challenges are, however, predicted to arise from climate change, as grapevine cultivation is deeply dependent on weather and climate conditions. Changes in viticultural suitability over the last decades, for viticulture in general or the use of specific varieties, have already been reported for many wine regions. Despite spatially heterogeneous impacts, climate change is anticipated to exacerbate these recent trends on suitability for wine production. These shifts may reshape the geographical distribution of wine regions, while wine typicity may also be threatened in most cases. Changing climates will thereby urge for the implementation of timely, suitable, and cost-effective adaptation strategies, which should also be thoroughly planned and tuned to local conditions for an effective risk reduction. Although the potential of the different adaptation options is not yet fully investigated, deserving further research activities, their adoption will be of utmost relevance to maintain the socioeconomic and environmental sustainability of the highly valued viticulture and winemaking sector in Europe. © 2020 by the authors.
- ItemCharacterization of antimicrobial effects of Plasma-Treated Water (PTW) produced by Microwave-Induced Plasma (MidiPLexc) on pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms(Basel : MDPI, 2020) Handorf, Oliver; Pauker, Viktoria Isabella; Schnabel, Uta; Weihe, Thomas; Freund, Eric; Bekeschus, Sander; Riedel, Katharina; Ehlbeck, JörgFor the decontamination of surfaces in the food production industry, plasma-generated compounds such as plasma-treated water or plasma-processed air offer many promising possibilities for future applications. Therefore, the antimicrobial effect of water treated with microwave-induced plasma (MidiPLexc) on Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms was investigated. A total of 10 mL deionized water was treated with the MidiPLexc plasma source for 100, 300 and 900 s (pretreatment time) and the bacterial biofilms were exposed to the plasma-treated water for 1, 3 and 5 min (post-treatment time). To investigate the influence of plasma-treated water on P. fluorescens biofilms, microbiological assays (colony-forming units, fluorescence and XTT assay) and imaging techniques (fluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and atomic force microscopy) were used. The colony-forming units showed a maximum reduction of 6 log10 by using 300 s pretreated plasma water for 5 min. Additionally, a maximum reduction of 81% for the viability of the cells and a 92% reduction in the metabolic activity of the cells were achieved by using 900 s pretreated plasma water for 5 min. The microscopic images showed evident microbial inactivation within the biofilm even at the shortest pretreatment (100 s) and post-treatment (1 min) times. Moreover, reduction of the biofilm thickness and increased cluster formation within the biofilm was detected. Morphologically, the fusion of cell walls into a uniform dense cell mass was detectable. The findings correlated with a decrease in the pH value of the plasma-treated water, which forms the basis for the chemically active components of plasma-treated water and its antimicrobial effects. These results provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of inactivation of biofilms by plasma-generated compounds such as plasma-treated water and thus allow for further parameter adjustment for applications in food industry. © 2020 by the authors.
- ItemThe combination of plasma-processed air (PPA) and plasma-treated water (PTW) causes synergistic inactivation of Candida albicans SC5314(Basel : MDPI, 2020) Schnabel, Uta; Yarova, Kateryna; Zessin, Björn; Stachowiak, Jörg; Ehlbeck, JörgMicrowave-induced plasma was used for the generation of plasma-processed air (PPA) and plasma-treated water (PTW). By this way, the plasma was able to functionalize the compressed air and the used water to antimicrobial effective agents. Their fungicidal effects by single and combined application were investigated on Candida albicans strain SC5314. The monoculture of C. albicans was cultivated on specimens with polymeric surface structures (PE-stripes). The additive as well as the synergistic fungicidal potential of PPA and PTW was investigated by different process windows of plasma exposure time (5-50 s) and sample treatment time with PPA/PTW (1-5 min). For a single PTW or PPA treatment, an increase in the reduction factor with the indicated treatment time was observed (maximum reduction factor of 1.1 and 1.6, respectively). In comparison, the combined application of PTW and then PPA resulted in antagonistic, additive and synergistic effects, depending on the combination. An application of the synergistically acting processes of PTW for cleaning and PPA for drying can be an innovative alternative to the sanitary processes currently used in production plants. © 2020 by the authors.