Wood powders of different botanical origin as an alternative to barrel aging for red wine

AbstractWood powders are produced in large quantity as by-product of barrel, staves and chips industry. Differently from larger particles (chips), the use of wood powders in winemaking is not admitted (Regulation (CE) n. 934/2019); however, it could represent a cheap and sustainable alternative for the accelerated aging of red wine. To evaluate their potential use in winemaking, a comparative study on the use of wood powders from oak, chestnut and acacia wood for the accelerated aging of red wine (cv. Aglianico) was conducted. This alternative aging was compared to the aging in wood barrels from the same botanical species. The wine aged in contact with powders underwent a quicker evolution of polyphenolic fraction. After 15 days of contact, the loss of total anthocyanins was higher than that observed after 6 months of aging in barrels (from 4 to 14% with respect to the corresponding kind of barrel). The amount of polymeric pigments tannins–anthocyanins–tannins in wines aged in contact with powders was higher respect to the wines aged in barrels (from 7 to 21% with respect to the corresponding kind of barrel), while the greatest loss of total tannins was detected in the oak barrels (28% less with respect to the control). There were several differences in wine phenolic acids due to wood botanical origin, with the clearest differences being between oak and the alternative wood species (chestnut and acacia). Also, there was a significant botanical effect on sensory profiles. Indeed, both among barrels and among powders, oak wood was the one that gave the strongest wood odor character. However, all the treatments with wood powders (oak, acacia and chestnut) preserved the fruity character of wine, conferring in the meanwhile non-dominant woody notes

Yeast derivatives: a promising alternative for white wine oxidation prevention

In the previous decade, the use of Yeast Derivatives (YD) was proposed as a new strategy to control wine oxidation (Comuzzo et al., 2015). These products are obtained from yeasts by autolytic or hydrolytic processes and then dried to obtain the commercial products. The aim of this work was to carry out a preliminary investigation of commercial YDs with different compositions in order to (i) compare their capacity to prevent white wine oxidation in comparison with conventional treatment using SO2, and (ii) evaluate their impact on wine quality

Terahertz imaging for non-invasive classification of healthy and cimiciato-infected hazelnuts

The development of new non-invasive approaches able to recognize defective food is currently a lively field of research. In particular, a simple and non-destructive method able to recognize defective hazelnuts, such as cimiciato-infected ones, in real-time is still missing. This study has been designed to detect the presence of such damaged hazelnuts. To this aim, a measurement setup based on terahertz (THz) radiation has been developed. Images of a sample of 150 hazelnuts have been acquired in the low THz range by a compact and portable active imaging system equipped with a 0.14 THz source and identified as Healthy Hazelnuts (HH) or Cimiciato Hazelnut (CH) after visual inspection. All images have been analyzed to find the average transmission of the THz radiation within the sample area. The differences in the distribution of the two populations have been used to set up a classification scheme aimed at the discrimination between healthy and injured samples. The performance of the classification scheme has been assessed through the use of the confusion matrix on 50 samples. The False Positive Rate (FPR) and True Negative Rate (TNR) are 0% and 100%, respectively. On the other hand, the True Positive Rate (TPR) and False Negative Rate (FNR) are 75% and 25%, respectively. These results are relevant from the perspective of the development of a simple, automatic, real-time method for the discrimination of cimiciato-infected hazelnuts in the processing industry

Investigating physicochemical, volatile and sensory parameters playing a positive or a negative role on tomato liking

This study aimed at providing further insights into the positive and negative drivers of tomato liking. For this purpose, 13 tomato cultivars representing different typologies were characterized for physicochemical parameters and aroma volatiles, and were assessed by a trained panel for sensory descriptors, and by Italian consumers for liking. The relationships among the different parameters and their effects on consumer liking were studied by Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis. Among physicochemical traits and sensory descriptors, seeds, reducing sugars, firmness, thick epicarp, soluble solids, sour taste, total acidity, citrate, herbaceous aroma and brightness were found to be drivers of liking, whereas pulp thickness, humidity, fruit weight, diacetyl-like odor and mealiness showed an opposite influence. For the aroma volatiles, 2-isobutylthiazole played a key role on liking and its positive contribution seemed to be supported by (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, but suppressed by 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-ol, especially when tomatoes had a poor volatile fraction. These results represent a contribution to the knowledge that could lead to more effective breeding strategies aimed at improving tomato sensory quality. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Sourced from the research article "Nanofiltration process as non-thermal alternative to thermovinification in Pinot noir winemaking" (OENO One, 2020). Original language of the article: French.

Free-run juice ("saignée") from Pinot Noir must was filtered by nanofiltration (NF) and then, with the aim of promoting the diffusion of anthocyanins, the retentate fraction was returned to the tank immediately and the permeate fraction was returned at different densities during the alcoholic fermentation. This extraction strategy was compared with thermovinification (TV). The results obtained demonstrate that NF shows promise as an alternative non-thermal strategy

Occurrence of Furaneol (4-Hydroxy-2,5-Dimethyl-3(2H)-Furanone) in Some Wines from Italian Native Grapes

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis by Selective Ion Monitoring (SIM) was applied to quantify 4-Hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone (HDMF) in both red and white wines obtained from some Italian cultivar of Vitis vinifera. Wines were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction performed with 1,1,2- trichlorotrifluoroethane (Freon 113). The ion m/z 128 was used for quantification while the ion m/z 129 as qualifier. Precision, linearity and accuracy of the method resulted satisfactory. Results showed a significant variation in the concentration of furaneol in wine with grape variety. Generally, HDMF concentrations in white wines were lower than in red wines. Among white wines, Chardonnay resulted characterized by the highest concentration of HDMF. Among red wines the highest concentrations of HDMF were detected in Primitivo and Refosco varieties

Nouveaux procédés de stabilisation microbiologique : une alternative pour réduire les doses de SO 2 dans les vins ? Article prenant sa source de l'article de recherche "Alternative Methods to SO2 for Microbiological Stabilization of Wine" (Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety, 2019). Langue originale de l'article : français.

Le SO2 est l'additif chimique le plus employé en œnologie en raison de ses propriétés anti-oxydantes et antimicrobiennes. Cependant, ce produit peut avoir des effets négatifs sur la santé humaine. En effet le SO2 peut induire, même si c'est rare, des réactions indésirables chez les sujets sensibles. Ainsi, l'évolution de la règlementation concernant les doses de sulfites dans les vins a encouragé l'ensemble de la filière vinicole à étudier des méthodes alternatives. Les recherches se sont surtout concentrées sur l'étude d'alternatives chimiques, biologiques et physiques capables de garantir la stabilité microbiologique du vin. Dans cet article ne seront abordées que les techniques physiques innovantes