The binding of 4-ethylguaiacol with polyaniline-based materials in wines

New molecularly imprinted polymers for reducing negative volatile phenols in red wine with low impact on wine colour

4-Ethylphenol (4-EP) and 4-ethylguaiacol (4-EG) formation in red wines by Dekkera/Brettanomyces yeasts reduce significantly wine consumer's acceptability. Polymers with specific adsorption for volatile phenols (VPs) could be a valuable tool for wine producers for removing this negative sensory defect. In this work, a new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesised using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as cross-linker and ethylene glycol methyl ether acrylate as functional monomers. Although there was observed a competitive binding of the more abundant structurally related phenolic compounds of the wine matrix, it was still able to reduce 38 to 63% the wine VPs, depending on the wine VPs levels, presenting higher performance than the respective non-imprinted polymers (NIP). Sensory analysis of the MIP treated wine resulted in a significant decrease in the phenolic attribute and significant increase of the fruity and floral attributes, with no significant differences in the wine colour perceived by the expert panel. The sensory improvement of the MIP was significantly higher than that observed for the correspondent NIP.

Removal of 4-Ethylphenol and 4-Ethylguaiacol with Polyaniline-Based Compounds in Wine-Like Model Solutions and Red Wine

Volatile phenols, such as 4-ethyphenol (4-EP) and 4-ethylguaiacol (4-EG), are responsible for the “Brett character” found in wines contaminated with Brettanomyces yeast (i.e., barnyard, animal, spicy and smoky aromas). In these trials, we explore the effectiveness of polyaniline-based compounds (polyaniline emeraldin salt (PANI-ES) and polyanaline emeraldin base (PANI-EB)), for the removal of 4-EP and 4-EG from acidic model solutions and red wine. First, a screening study, performed in an acidified 12% ethanol solution, was used to optimize parameters such as contact time and the amount of polymers required to remove 4-EP and 4-EG. Then, the trapping ability of PANI agents towards 4-EP and 4-EG was evaluated in a model solution containing other wine phenolics that could potentially be trapped by PANI (i.e., gallic acid and 4-methylcatechol). The results of this trial showed that both PANI compounds were capable of removing 4-EP, 4-EG, regardless of the presence of other phenolic compounds present at a much higher concentration. Finally, the capturing ability of PANI was evaluated in a red wine sample containing 5 mg·L⁻¹ of 4-EP, 5 mg·L⁻¹ of 4-EG and 2.03 ± 0.02 g·L⁻¹ of total phenolics. The results showed that PANI-EB removed significantly more 4-EP and 4-EG than PANI-ES. For instance, a treatment with 10 mg·mL⁻¹ of PANI-EB produced a 67.8% reduction of 4-EP, 50% reduction of 4-EG and 41.38% decrease in total phenols.