DC2: Marta Cucchi

About Her Research

Marta Cucci’s PhD research is part of the SpoilControl project, an international doctoral network funded by the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

As Doctoral Candidate 2, she is based in the Department of Biotechnology at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Her research focuses on improving the robustness of Saccharomyces yeasts used in anaerobic fermentation processes.

Although alcoholic fermentation mainly takes place without oxygen, yeasts generally require small amounts of oxygen to produce essential cellular compounds, particularly sterols and unsaturated fatty acids. In industrial processes such as beer and wine production, this oxygen requirement can affect yeast growth, fermentation performance, and resistance to stressful conditions.

Marta’s project aims to develop yeast strains that can grow efficiently under fully anaerobic conditions. By reducing or eliminating their dependence on oxygen, these strains could become more resilient and competitive against microorganisms responsible for beverage spoilage.

Her research combines genetic engineering, microbial physiology, and fermentation experiments. She will assess how different genetic modifications influence yeast growth, cellular robustness, nutrient requirements, and fermentation performance.

The engineered strains will be tested in conditions that reflect industrial beverage production, including full-malt wort and grape must. Their ability to complete fermentation and compete with unwanted microorganisms will be evaluated under oxygen-limited or fully anaerobic conditions.

Her research specifically focuses on:

• Developing robust Saccharomyces strains capable of growing without oxygen.
• Reducing yeast dependence on anaerobic growth factors such as sterols and unsaturated fatty acids.
• Evaluating the impact of genetic engineering on yeast physiology and cellular resilience.
• Testing engineered strains in full-malt wort and grape must.
• Assessing their fermentation performance and ability to produce alcoholic beverages.
• Investigating their competitiveness against spoilage microorganisms.
• Developing protocols to transfer beneficial traits across different Saccharomyces lineages.
• Exploring the potential use of improved yeast strains as biological control agents.
• Investigating microbial biofilms on surfaces and equipment used in wine and cider production.

As part of the project, Marta will complete a six-month secondment at the Science for Oenology laboratory at the University of Montpellier. There, she will evaluate the performance of engineered yeast strains during anaerobic wine fermentation using grape must.

She will also spend between three and four months at the Lallemand research centre in Montreal, where she will test yeast isolates selected for their ability to independently produce specific B vitamins under industrial brewing conditions.

Ultimately, Marta’s research aims to develop more robust yeast strains that can perform reliably without oxygen while limiting the development of undesirable microorganisms. These strains could contribute to more stable, efficient, and sustainable fermentation processes in the wine and brewing industries.