Linda Bisson

Last updated
Linda Frances Bisson
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Davis
Thesis Studies on thymidylate metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae  (1980)

Dr. Linda Bisson is a trained yeast geneticist who focuses on sugar catabolism and fermentation. She is a retired professor and geneticist from the University of California at Davis. [1]

Contents

Education and career

Bisson has an undergraduate degree [ when? ] [1] from San Francisco State University and, in 1975, Bisson her masters' degree from there while working on the bacteria Pseudomonas. [2] She then earned a Ph.D. in 1980 from the University of California, Berkeley where she worked on metabolism of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. [3] Following her Ph.D, she was a postdoc at Harvard Medical School before joining the faculty at University of California at Davis as an assistant professor in 1985. [1] She was the Viticulture and Enology Chair from 1990 to 1995 and then the Maynard A. Amerine Endowed Chair in Viticulture and Enology from 1997 to 2008. [4]

She was the science editor of the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture (AJEV) for 15 years and the co-author of the text book, “Principles and Practices of Winemaking.” [5] The textbook won the Le Prix en Oenologie from the Office International de la Vigne et du Vin in 1998. [6]

Awards

In 2002, she received the Excellence in Teaching Award from UC Davis Extension; in 2004, she received the Excellence in Education Award from Associated Students of UCD; and in 2012, she was awarded the DEVO Excellence in Teaching Award. [6] In 2011, she received the James M. Craig Lectureship Award from Oregon State University. [7] In 2014, she was honored with the American Society for Enology and Viticulture's (ASEV) highest honor, the Merit Award, [8] and was the ASEV Honorary Research Lecturer in 2000. She also received the University of California, Davis Charles P. Nash Prize. [9]

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

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Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitute 1% of all described fungal species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baker's yeast</span> Yeast used as a leavening agent in baking

Baker's yeast is the common name for the strains of yeast commonly used in baking bread and other bakery products, serving as a leavening agent which causes the bread to rise by converting the fermentable sugars present in the dough into carbon dioxide and ethanol. Baker's yeast is of the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and is the same species as the kind commonly used in alcoholic fermentation, which is called brewer's yeast or the deactivated form nutritional yeast. Baker's yeast is also a single-cell microorganism found on and around the human body.

<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> Species of yeast

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a species of yeast. The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have been originally isolated from the skin of grapes. It is one of the most intensively studied eukaryotic model organisms in molecular and cell biology, much like Escherichia coli as the model bacterium. It is the microorganism behind the most common type of fermentation. S. cerevisiae cells are round to ovoid, 5–10 μm in diameter. It reproduces by budding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zinfandel</span> Variety of grape

Zinfandel is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštelanski and Tribidrag, as well as to the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Apulia, where it was introduced in the 18th century, and Kratošija in Montenegro. The grape found its way to the United States in the mid-19th century, where it became known by variations of a name applied to a different grape, likely "Zierfandler" from Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viticulture</span> Cultivation and harvesting of grapes

Viticulture or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of Vitis vinifera, the common grape vine, ranges from Western Europe to the Persian shores of the Caspian Sea, the vine has demonstrated high levels of adaptability to new environments, hence viticulture can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red wine</span> Wine made from dark-colored grape varieties

Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple grapes is greenish-white, the red color coming from anthocyan pigments present in the skin of the grape. Much of the red wine production process involves extraction of color and flavor components from the grape skin.

William Vere Cruess was an American food scientist who pioneered the use of fruits to produce fruit-juice beverages, fruit-based concentrates and syrups. He was one of the first investigators in the United States to use freezing storage for preservation of fruits and fruit products. Cruess's research also proved beneficial in the rebirth of the wine industry in California after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.

Carole P. Meredith is an American grape geneticist and was a professor at the Department of Viticulture and Enology of University of California, Davis.

<i>Torulaspora delbrueckii</i> Species of fungus

Torulaspora delbrueckii is a ubiquitous yeast species with both wild and anthropic habitats. The type strain of T. delbrueckii is CBS 1146T, equivalent to CLIB 230 or ATCC 10662, etc.. The type strain of T. delbrueckii CBS 1146 T was sequenced in 2009, and is composed of 8 chromosomes in addition to a mitochondrial genome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of wine</span> Overview of and topical guide to wine

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to wine

Ann C. Noble is a sensory chemist and retired professor from the University of California, Davis. During her time at the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, Noble invented the "Aroma Wheel" which is credited with enhancing the public understanding of wine tasting and terminology. At the time of her hiring at UC Davis in 1974, Noble was the first woman hired as a faculty member of the Viticulture department. Noble retired from Davis in 2002 and in 2003 was named Emeritus Professor of Enology. Since retirement she has participated as a judge in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Ira Herskowitz was an American phage and yeast geneticist who studied genetic regulatory circuits and mechanisms. He was particularly noted for his work on mating type switching and cellular differentiation, largely using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism.

Maynard Andrew Amerine (1911–1998) was a pioneering researcher in the cultivation, fermentation, and sensory evaluation of wine. His academic work at the University of California at Davis is recognized internationally. His 16 books and some 400 articles contributed significantly to the development of the modern (post-Prohibition) wine industry in California; to the improvement of wine cultures in Europe, South America, and Australia; and to the professional standards for judging and tasting wine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethel Heights Vineyard</span>

Bethel Heights Vineyard is an Oregon winery in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of the Willamette Valley. Founded in 1977 by twin brothers Ted and Terry Casteel, their wives Pat Dudley and Marilyn Webb, and Pat's sister Barbara Dudley, the vineyard was one of the earliest plantings in the Eola-Amity Hills region. A winery soon followed, with the first estate wines produced in 1984. Bethel Heights specializes in Pinot noir, offering several individual block and vineyard designated bottlings, but also produces wines made from Chardonnay, Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, and Gewürztraminer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeast in winemaking</span> Yeasts used for alcoholic fermentation of wine

The role of yeast in winemaking is the most important element that distinguishes wine from fruit juice. In the absence of oxygen, yeast converts the sugars of the fruit into alcohol and carbon dioxide through the process of fermentation. The more sugars in the grapes, the higher the potential alcohol level of the wine if the yeast are allowed to carry out fermentation to dryness. Sometimes winemakers will stop fermentation early in order to leave some residual sugars and sweetness in the wine such as with dessert wines. This can be achieved by dropping fermentation temperatures to the point where the yeast are inactive, sterile filtering the wine to remove the yeast or fortification with brandy or neutral spirits to kill off the yeast cells. If fermentation is unintentionally stopped, such as when the yeasts become exhausted of available nutrients and the wine has not yet reached dryness, this is considered a stuck fermentation.

Zelma R. Long is an American enologist and vintner. She is considered to be one of the female pioneers in California wine, and was the first woman to assume senior management of a Californian winery, Simi Winery, of which she was president from 1989 to 1996. Long founded and was the first president of the American Vineyard Foundation to help finance research in enology and viticulture and also founded the American Viticulture and Enology Research Network (AVERN). She is the co-owner of Long Vineyards in St. Helena, California, and the Vilafonte Wine Estate in South Africa. Long has particularly been active in research into viticulture in Washington state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeast assimilable nitrogen</span> Form of nitrogen available to wine yeast to use during fermentation

Yeast assimilable nitrogen or YAN is the combination of free amino nitrogen (FAN), ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4+) that is available for a yeast, e.g. the wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to use during fermentation. Outside of the fermentable sugars glucose and fructose, nitrogen is the most important nutrient needed to carry out a successful fermentation that doesn't end prior to the intended point of dryness or sees the development of off-odors and related wine faults. To this extent winemakers will often supplement the available YAN resources with nitrogen additives such as diammonium phosphate (DAP).

Metschnikowia pulcherrima is a ubiquitous species of yeast, with numerous strains, belonging to the family Metschnikowiaceae, and found on grapes, cherries, flowers, spoiled fruit and consequently carried by fruit flies. It is a non-Saccharomyces yeast and plays an important role in the vinification of wine when it is present on grapes or winery equipment, and has historically seen use in South Africa’s wine industry. It is also being studied at the University of Bath as a possible alternative to the use of Palm oil, and early results show promise. M. pulcherrima is ovoid to ellipsoidal in shape and reproduces by budding. Its cells are globose and thick-walled, holding a single, large oil droplet of high refractive index. As the result of incomplete budding where cells remain attached after division, pseudohyphae may form under anaerobic conditions.

Albert Julius Winkler was an American professor of viticulture and one of its leading authorities. His name is famous for the Winkler index, developed with Maynard Amerine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Lohr</span> American winegrower (born 1937)

Jerome Julian Lohr (born January 1, 1937) is an American real estate developer, agriculturist, and winegrower. Lohr is the founder of J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, a winegrowing, and winemaking company based in San Jose, California. J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines operates vineyards in the Paso Robles AVA in San Luis Obispo County, Arroyo Seco AVA in Monterey County, and the St. Helena AVA in Napa Valley, California. Lohr has earned a reputation as a pioneer of winegrowing on the Central Coast of California. The Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering opened at South Dakota State University (SDSU) in June 2013 in his honor.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Linda Bissons Contributions to Science and Industry Honored at UCD ..." www.winebusiness.com. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  2. Bisson, Linda Frances (1975). Factors influencing the stability of dissimilation plasmids in Pseudomonas (Thesis). OCLC   6616380.
  3. Bisson, Linda Frances (1980). Studies on thymidylate metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Thesis). OCLC   80024249.
  4. "Wines & Vines - New Venue Unites ASEV and Eastern Section". www.winesandvines.com. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  5. "ASEV to Recognize Dr. Bisson with Highest Honor in June - American Society for Enology and Viticulture". American Society for Enology and Viticulture. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  6. 1 2 "Linda Bisson - UC Davis ADVANCE". UC Davis ADVANCE. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  7. "Linda F. Bisson | Viticulture and Enology". wineserver.ucdavis.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  8. "ASEV to Recognize Dr. Bisson with Highest Honor at the National Conference in Austin - American Society for Enology and Viticulture". American Society for Enology and Viticulture. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  9. "Linda Bisson Wins Charles P. Nash Prize". UC Davis ADVANCE. 26 February 2013. Retrieved 2021-09-28.