Renowned wineries in Spain, Portugal and France have used a biosensor developed by Biolan to assess the health state of grapes collected in the latest harvest in an accurate, economic and simple manner. From December onwards, this sensor is also to be used in the grape harvest in the Southern Cone of South America.

The Biolan biosensor detects the level of gluconic acid in recently harvested grapes, providing oenologists with essential information for their work at the winery in a more reliable and feasible way. As a result, wineries in different designations of origin have used the biosensor during the grape reception process.

In Spain, the biosensor has been used by the Codorniù Juve i Camps, CVNE, Solagüen, Barbadillo, Torres, Domecq and Grandes Vinos y Viñedos wineries, among others, from the Rioja, Penedés, Priorato, Jerez and Cariñena designations of origin. Interest in the new biosensor has also reached the Moët & Chandon wineries in France and the Lurton winery in Porto, Portugal.

Biolan has also signed an agreement with an important distribution company for wine products in Chile to market this biosensor and any other developments. In the coming weeks, Biolan will sign similar product distribution agreements in other American countries with specific weight in the viticultural sector, such as Argentina and Uruguay.

This is the market response to the R&D work carried out by Biolan researchers who, at this very time, are completing a new biosensor to measure malic acid, which Biolan expects to commmercialise later this year.

Biolan was created in September 2006 to develop innovative analysis tools that enable fast, simple, reliable determination of multiple parameters, based on the latest advances and research in Biotechnology and Microelectronics. The company focuses its activity on the research, development, manufacture and marketing of biosensors to perform real time measuring, intended for the agri-food and pharmaceutical industries.

Biolan has recently been bolstered by the entry of new shareholders, such as Orza, the Basque Country Venture Capital Company and the businessman and founder of Panda Software, Mikel Urizarbarrena.