As part of the mobility activities within the PURE-WAY project, PhD student Aleksandar from the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, has started his secondment at our project partner institution, INRAE. During his stay, Aleksandar has been working on the fermentation of biomass after extraction. The main objectives include establishing a database of microbial strains, selecting the most efficient strains, and optimizing the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the production of bio-based products. He has also worked on the genetic modification of E. coli bacteria for the production of acetoin reductase, an enzyme intended for monitoring acetoin levels in wine. In addition, he has contributed to the selection and application of bacterial strains for fermentation using PCR, sequencing, and qPCR methods. As part of his training, Aleksandar gained practical experience in microbiology, protein and DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, PCR, and microscopy. He also monitored fermentation over time and validated methods for optimizing bacterial cultivation conditions.