Hannah van Goeverden
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Poster presentation at the ICY conference
„The two years of my master’s studies were challenging at times, but I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to have these experiences. They have shaped who I am as a person and have provided me with a solid foundation on which to build my future.“
Thanks to the Helmut & Babs Amos Scholarship by the DAAD-Stiftung, Hannah van Goeverden was able to pursue her Master's degree at Stellenbosch University. As a researcher interested in real-world industrial applications, she worked on different sustainable fermentation methods in wine production. During her two years of research, she not only grew professionally but also personally, made new friends, and often spent her time walking in the mountains of the Stellenbosch region.
I completed my master’s degree in Wine Biotechnology at the University of Stellen-bosch. I have a keen interest in both biology and the food and beverage industries, and so I believed that this degree would be an incredible opportunity to focus on both of these interests, and Stellenbosch University was the perfect place to do this, as it is situated in the heart of the South African wine region.
The aim of my master’s thesis was to advance our understanding of the phenotypic impact of thiamine, biotin and pyridoxine in growth and fermentation traits of yeast in single species and co-cultures. The yeast monitored in this study were Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lachancea thermotolerans, and Torulaspora delbrueckii, which were fluorescently labelled.
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Fermentation samples
My study period began by formulating a plan and proposal on how I would achieve this aim, which I presented to our department. I then began my lab work by performing small-scale fermentations where yeast populations were monitored using flow-cytometry, these fermentations were performed in 6-well plates in 6ml of media.
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Flow Cytometry
The same process was then followed in large-scale fermentations in order to determine whether the size of the fermentations had an effect on the results, these fermentations were performed in 1L flasks in 400ml of media. Sugar uptake during fermentations was also monitored using the Konelab Arena 20XT automated analyser.
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Large scale fermentation studies in the lab
My research ran for about a year and most of it was done solo, however, my lab mates and mentors were always there for me if I needed any help or guidance.
The results of this study showed that each species was affected differently by each of the vitamins. While there were many effects noted for each vitamin, our main finding for each of the vitamins can be summarized. For thiamine we saw that it promotes the growth of S. cerevisiae but stunts growth of non-Saccharomyces yeasts. We saw that the absence of biotin stunts the growth of non-Saccharomyces yeasts unless specifi-cally cultured with S. cerevisiae.
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Plate Streaking
Lastly, for pyridoxine we saw that in the small-scale fermentations the absence of pyridoxine stunts growth of S. cerevisiae in monoculture, but not co-culture, however, the opposite was seen in the large-scale fermentations, showing that the scale of experiment effects the impact of pyridoxine on S. cerevisiae. As wine is produced more similarly to the co-culture large-scale fermentations, these results tell us that pyridoxine could be a very important vitamin for a successful wine fermentation.
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At the lab
While there were a few speedbumps along the way in my master’s journey, such as having to redo a few fermentations due to mistakes or faulty equipment, I really enjoyed my time in the lab over these past 2 years. I was able to complete my master’s degree and graduate in December 2024.
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Masters Graduation day
I have learnt so much, not only lab skills and scientific knowledge, but about myself and how I am able to do anything I put my mind to. I have also learnt invaluable people and life skills, such as effective communication and working in a team, which will be useful as I continue my career in the science, and food and beverage industry.
It is only because of the opportunity that the Helmut & Babs Amos Scholarship gave me that I was able to learn so much over the past 2 years. I am so honoured and proud to have been awarded this scholarship and am incredibly grateful as I would not have been able to continue my studies without it. Post-graduate studies on top of living expenses can be very expensive in South Africa, and so the combination of the Helmut & Babs Amos Scholarship with a partial bursary from my university allowed me to have this great opportunity.
The scholarship also awarded me peace of mind throughout my master’s journey as I did not have the added stress of worrying about finances and needing to find a part-time job which would take up any free time. This allowed me to have some fun in my free time where I spent time with friends and relaxed when I could. Stellenbosch is a beautiful part of the country and so I liked to spend my free time walking in the mountains and exploring the wine farms with friends.
Further work is currently being done by PhD students in my department to understand and explain the results collected in my master’s research. These PhD students hope to further understand the genetic impact that B-vitamins have on yeast species in co-culture conditions.
I am eager to take all that I have learnt into the working world and plan to begin my career sometime soon. I recently relocated to Europe as I wanted to experience new cultures and a new way of life, I am doing online teaching work at the moment and am looking for opportunities to begin my career in the science field of the food and beve-rage industry in Ireland.
As of February 2025.
