OchraVine Control project has collected data to identify fungal, pest, host as well as environmental indicators and agricultural practices that are involved in OTA outbreaks during pre-harvest of grapes especially under a climate change scenario. These results contributed to the elucidation of the epidemiology of these fungi in relation to the management of ochratoxin A risk in grapes. Next, various commercial vine varieties were evaluated for their susceptibility/resistance in Aspergillus and biosynthesis of OTA in France, Italy and Greece with the main goal of defining “susceptibility indicators”, based on genetic or physiological aspects of grape varieties. Weather indicators such as air and soil humidity and temperature have been found to influence the occurrence of OTA producing fungi and mycotoxin contamination at pre- and post-harvest level.
OchraVine Control developed innovative sensor systems for OTA detection in vine products (OchraSensor). Compact portable membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) systems have been employed for the first time to detect and monitor volatile emissions of grapes infected by the fungus A. carbonarius. Additionally, a thermal imaging approach was developed to detect the initial stages of Aspergillus grape rot disease. The proposed thermography methodology seems to be quite promising regarding the detection of fungal infection at early stages of grape infection.
OchraVine Control has also developed an IPM strategy (OchraRed) based on a combination of biological and chemical plant protection products that can reduce significantly the OTA contamination in vineyards. Also, several novel biological agents (yeasts) have been evaluated for their ability to control very successfully OTA in vineyards.
The pre-harvest detection system consists of mapping the emergence risk of fungi based on dynamic modelling approaches. More specifically, data (indicators) are used to feed a conceptual prediction model for the dynamic simulation of A. carbonarius life cycle in grapes along the growing season including OTA production in grapes (OchraRisk). Additionally, critical post-harvest indicators and methods for the prevention of OTA production have been tested and developed in vine value chain and are crucial inputs for the Post-harvest model. Effective post-harvest management requires clear monitoring criteria and effective implementation, hygiene and monitoring to ensure that mycotoxin contamination is minimized along the food and feed chain. In the project, an axisymmetric 2-D Finite Element Model (FEM) of coupled heat and mass transfer model to describe the temporal and spatial temperature and moisture content variation of raisins and currants under direct solar drying, was developed and implemented to predict temperature and moisture content during the drying process (OchraDetect).
OchraVine Control Decision Support System (DSS) is a toolkit to effectively monitor the incidence of OTA in the grape-wine chain. It can prognose the disease in real time and provides appropriate warnings for preventive and direct sprays. The further goal of this task is the translation of the vision of OchraVine-DSS into sustainable business models and the development of environmentally friendly and economically feasible pre- and post-harvest practices for the examination of OTA contamination through the grape to wine chain. While the introduction of OchraVine DSS may involve moderate increases in operational costs and modest investments in equipment, the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis revealed a persuasive financial narrative. It showcased how these initial expenditures are outweighed by substantial benefits, including enhanced productivity, lower losses, superior product quality, and the ability to command higher prices in the market. In this manner, the financial landscape of the entire vine value chain is dynamically reshaped, reinforcing the economic viability of adopting OchraVine DSS.
