The Australian Wine Research Institute’s Analytical Service - Analyses

Microbiological stability

** Important Safety Note **
Whenever samples are delivered for micro perusal or sterility analysis, it is essential that the bottle(s) is/are only half-full. It is essential that any samples that are suspected to be non-sterile are packed with a frozen cool pak, to limit pressure build-up resulting from uncontrolled fermentation.
As a number of containers have exploded or showered staff with wine (or grape juice) we will discard any overfilled bottles without analysing them to ensure the safety of our staff.

Micro perusal

Samples submitted for perusal are filtered or centrifuged to isolate possible organisms. This material is viewed by microscopy to determine the presence of organisms and other amorphous material. The identity and viability of the microorganisms or any amorphous material observed is not determined.

Sterility check

For this analysis, 100 mL of wine is aseptically removed, filtered through 0.45 µm membranes and incubated for 10 days on both WL media, and MRS media containing apple juice and cycloheximide. The plates are assessed after three days and ten days and are reported as a pass or fail. Any colonies on the plates are described in terms of colour, size and morphology, and microscopy is used to determine the presence of yeast or bacteria. We are unable to provide information on the genus and species. We do not accept any responsibility for sterility results that are requested for less than 10 days.