Invisible Sentinel Inc., will be partnering with Jackson Family Wines, the family-owned winery in Sonoma County, on a first-in-class rapid diagnostic to detect Brettanomyces, a wine-spoiling yeast.

The diagnostic assay, called Veriflow® BRETT, will be developed with the use of Invisible Sentinel’s proprietary Veriflow® technology, which is already the basis of tests marketed to detect microbes of concern in food production and distribution. The development of Veriflow® BRETT will take advantage of the deep experience of Jackson Family Wines, and its acclaimed portfolio of wineries across California as well as internationally.

Brettanomyces produces compounds that in excess can foul the taste of wine and give it an odor sometimes described as “barnyardy.” Current methods of on-site testing for Brettanomyces are time-consuming, with the consequence that the compounds continue to accumulate and corrective measures are delayed. Product is thus subject to spoilage.

The agreement between Invisible Sentinel and Jackson Family Wines anticipates that a successfully developed Veriflow® assay to detect Brettanomyces will eventually be marketed across the wine industry.

The partnership with Jackson Family Wines was established through Invisible Sentinel’s Custom Solution Program, a contract service that helps clients develop customized assays on the Veriflow® platform. Apart from the Custom Solution Program, Invisible Sentinel develops and markets Veriflow® assays for broad use by the food and beverage industries. The Company’s product suite is currently anchored by the following assays: Veriflow® LS for listeria species, Veriflow® SS for salmonella species, Veriflow® CA for campylobacter, and Veriflow® LM for listeria monocytogenes. Additional Veriflow® assays for the food and beverage industries are under development.