La tecnologia ad ultrasuoni per il trattamento del pigiato di uve bianche

La tecnologia ad ultrasuoni, che trova diverse applicazioni nel settore alimentare e delle bevande, non \ue8 ancora stata introdotta nel settore enologico anche se sono parecchi gli studi di laboratorio relativi agli effetti su alcune fasi di processo della filiera vino. Solo a luglio 2019 la tecnologia ad Ultrasuoni \ue8 stata inserita dall\u2019OIV tra le pratiche ammesse nel trattamento dell\u2019uva pigiata e diraspata. Grazie all\u2019esperienza acquisita e agli interessanti risultati che riguardano la mecerazione delle uve rosse sono state realizzate numerose ricerche preliminari sul trattamento del pigiato di uve bianche, al fine di valutare l\u2019ipotesi di utilizzare gli ultrasuoni in questa delicata fase di lavorazione delle uve bianche aromatiche. Le esperienze di laboratorio e di cantina hanno consentito di verificare che il breve trattamento con ultrasuoni pu\uf2 sostituire integralmente la macerazione che si effettua per le uve bianche. Risulta interessante l\u2019effetto del tempo di trattamento sull\u2019estrazione dei componenti, tuttavia questa variabile dovr\ue0 essere gestita assieme all\u2019amplitudine nell\u2019impianto tecnologico al fine di poter garantire l\u2019estrazione dei componenti desiderati in funzione della maturit\ue0 dell\u2019uva e dell\u2019obiettivo enologico. Anche se non statisticamente significativi, gli incrementi in precursori e nella gradevolezza olfattiva evidenziano il positivo effetto del trattamento con ultrasuoni e confermano la possibilit\ue0 di sostituire integralmente la tradizionale macerazione effettuata nelle cantine sulle uve bianche aromatiche. In linea generale il trattamento con ultrasuoni consente di limitare i costi di produzione e di limitare anche eventuali trattamenti enzimatici estrattivi sul pigiato. Anche a livello energetico i consumi risultano molto limitati rispetto ad esempio a macerazioni a freddo spesso utilizzate in cantina per la macerazione delle uve bianche

Application of UltraSound treatment in different stages of the winemaking process

The chemical and mechanical effects of ultrasound are interesting in the food industry. This work attempts to study new applications on grapes as the raw material and then in the stabilization process. Phenolic compounds extracted from grapes by means of disruption of the cell wall due to pressure alternance and cavitation were studied. The tests carried out showed an improvement in the extraction of polyphenolic substances, with a reduction in the duration of traditional maceration in the cellar. The US technology causes a direct cavitational damage to microbial cell membranes with leakage of its content and sonochemical structural modifications of the liquid medium. US could accelerate the release of protective colloids (polysaccharides, glycopolysaccharides and proteins) and stabilize wine. This study, focused on the ultrasound effects on wine lees, verifies the lytic effect on yeast cell structures and the possibility of accelerating the protective colloids release. Moreover, these effects were compared with the usual practices of aging wine over lees and with the enzyme treatment of lees by means of \u3b2-glucanases able to facilitate the release of intracellular components. Ultrasound treatment on wine lees resulted in an increase in total colloids, proteins, and polysaccharides in the medium with a reduction in the colloids particle diameter. These results were mainly correlated with treatment duration rather than its intensity. The vibrations provoked by waves pressure during the treatment could give off enough energy to stabilize tannin-tannin and tannin-anthocyanins polymers in wine. We also investigated effects of US on red wines, in order to understand how to speed up the aging reactions and hence reduce the time between production and sale. It was found that a few minutes ultrasonic treatment probably promotes an increase in the amount of the catechins, the depolymerization of the tannins and a change of the astringency

Ultrasound application in winemaking for a low impact enology

IIn winemaking, although some research has been carried out, the practical application is still in an early stage. The cavitation process induced by ultrasounds leads to the breakage of the cells walls, thus facilitates the release of the cell content in the wine. The aim of this work is to study the effects produced by the ultrasound on crushed grapes, seeds, lees, and wines, in order to verify the possible speeding up of the extraction, the polymerization of the phenolic compounds, and the release of compounds from the yeast cells. After some preliminary tests, an experimental design has been created to optimize the test conditions, like time, amplitude and frequency. After different laboratory activities, recent experience in the cellar with a prototype have confirmed the possibility of using ultrasound for a short time (3-5 minutes) as a pre-treatment on crushed red grapes for the extraction of polyphenols and on crushed white grapes for the extraction of aromas. The treatment on the lees has confirmed the possibility of shortening the time of aging on the lees. Also good results have been reached in young red wines using the ultrasound to promote a positive tannin evolution. Experiences are ongoing to create an industrial plant for treatment with ultrasound in cellar, with variable flow rates between 50 and 300 hL/h; we are also being studied further applications in other stages of the winemaking process

Mediterranean Diet Food Components as Possible Adjuvant Therapies to Counteract Breast and Prostate Cancer Progression to Bone Metastasis

Bone metastasis is a serious and often lethal complication of particularly frequent carcinomas, such as breast and prostate cancers, which not only reduces survival but also worsens the patients’ quality of life. Therefore, it is important to find new and/or additional therapeutic possibilities that can counteract the colonization of bone tissue. High adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) is effective in the prevention of cancer and improves cancer patients’ health, thus, here, we considered its impact on bone metastasis. We highlighted some molecular events relevant for the development of a metastatic phenotype in cancer cells and the alterations of physiological bone remodeling, which occur during skeleton colonization. We then considered those natural compounds present in MD foods with a recognized role to inhibit or reverse the metastatic process both in in vivo and in vitro systems, and we reported the identified mechanisms of action. The knowledge of this bioactivity by the dietary components of the MD, together with its wide access to all people, could help not only to maintain healthy status but also to improve the quality of life of patients with bone metastases

Dynamics of glycolipid domains in the plasma membrane of living cultured neurons, following protein kinase C activation: A study performed by excimer-formation imaging

Dynamic changes of glycolipid domains within the plasma membranes of cultured rat cerebellar granule cells have been investigated. For this purpose, a pyrene-labelled derivative of G(M1) ganglioside has been incorporated in the cell plasma membrane, and the rate of excimer formation, directly related to the formation of domains, has been studied by a fluorescence imaging technique (excimer-formation imaging). Fluorescence imaging showed that upon addition of 100 μM glutamate, indirectly inducing the activation of protein kinase C (PKC), glycolipid concentration within domains increases in cell bodies. Comparable effects were exerted by the addition of PMA, directly inducing the activation of PKC. On the contrary, the phorbol ester was not effective in the presence of the specific PKC inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide. These results suggest that glycolipid-enriched domains are dynamic supramolecular structures affected by membrane-associated events, such as PKC activation. Dynamic changes of domains could be important in modulating their postulated participation in a series of functions, including signal transduction and lipid/protein sorting

Study of the ultrasound effects on yeast lees lysis in winemaking

This work focused on the study of ultrasound (US) treatment effects on wine lees, in order to verify the possibility of accelerating the protective colloids (i.e., polysaccharides) release. Moreover, these effects were compared with the usual practices of aging wine over lees and with the enzyme treatment of lees by means of betaglucanases able to demolish the glucans and facilitate the release of intracellular components. This work was performed considering the possibility of setting up a technology applicable in a cellar. Ultrasound treatment on wine lees resulted in an increase in total colloids, proteins, and polysaccharides in the medium with a reduction in the colloids particle diameter. These results were mainly correlated with treatment duration rather than its intensity. Treatment at 90 % amplitude for 3 min provided good enough results in terms of colloids release, and therefore, it was used for the comparative study with natural lysis and enzyme treatment. The parameters evaluated showed that the ultrasound treatment resulted in an increased release of colloids from yeast (polysaccharides and glycoproteins); therefore, a significant effect on the extraction of cellular components compared to the long stay on the lees was detected, indicating the interesting advantage that this new technological application can bring to the winemaking process

Sphingosine Kinase 2 and Ceramide Transport as Key Targets of the Natural Flavonoid Luteolin to Induce Apoptosis in Colon Cancer Cells.

The plant flavonoid luteolin exhibits different biological effects, including anticancer properties. Little is known on the molecular mechanisms underlying its actions in colorectal cancer (CRC). Here we investigated the effects of luteolin on colon cancer cells, focusing on the balance between ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), two sphingoid mediators with opposite roles on cell fate. Using cultured cells, we found that physiological concentrations of luteolin induce the elevation of ceramide, followed by apoptotic death of colon cancer cells, but not of differentiated enterocytes. Pulse studies revealed that luteolin inhibits ceramide anabolism to complex sphingolipids. Further experiments led us to demonstrate that luteolin induces an alteration of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi flow of ceramide, pivotal to its metabolic processing to complex sphingolipids. We report that luteolin exerts its action by inhibiting both Akt activation, and sphingosine kinase (SphK) 2, with the consequent reduction of S1P, an Akt stimulator. S1P administration protected colon cancer cells from luteolin-induced apoptosis, most likely by an intracellular, receptor-independent mechanism. Overall this study reveals for the first time that the dietary flavonoid luteolin exerts toxic effects on colon cancer cells by inhibiting both S1P biosynthesis and ceramide traffic, suggesting its dietary introduction/supplementation as a potential strategy to improve existing treatments in CRC