First Report of Dipodascopsis uninucleata in Red Wine: Isolation and Identification

The identification and characterization of yeast species dur­ing winemaking are essential for ensuring fermentation qual­ity and preventing microbial spoilage. In this study, an atyp­ical yeast colony was isolated from a red wine sample and subjected to morphological and molecular analyses. Restric­tion fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profiling of the ITS region yielded patterns inconsistent with known wine-asso­ciated yeasts. Subsequent sequencing of the D1/D2 domain confirmed the isolate as Dipodascopsis uninucleata, marking its first documented occurrence in a wine matrix. Microscopic examination revealed distinctive ascus structures, while lit­erature review highlighted the species’ capacity to produce bioactive oxylipins and accumulate lipids, suggesting potential biotechnological applications. Interference assays demon­strated minimal impact of D. uninucleata genomic DNA on the qPCR-based quantification of Brettanomyces bruxellensis, a key spoilage organism. These findings expand the known diversity of wine microbiota and underscore the importance of molecular tools in detecting rare or previously unreported yeast species in oenological environments.