GRAPE AND WINE POLYPHENOLIC COMPOSITION OF REDVitis viniferaVARIETIES CONCERNING VINEYARD ALTITUDE COMPOSICIÓN POLIFENÓLICA DE UVAS Y VINO DE VARIEDADES TINTAS DEVitis viniferaEN FUNCIÓN DE LA ALTITUD DEL VIÑEDO COMPOSICIÓN POLIFENÓLICA DE UVAS E VIÑO DE VARIEDADES TINTAS DEVitis viniferaEN FUNCIÓN DA ALTITUDE DO VIÑEDO

The Impact of Storage Conditions and Bottle Orientation on the Evolution of Phenolic and Volatile Compounds of Vintage Port Wine

This work evaluates the influence of the cellar conditions and bottle orientation, on the phenolic and volatile composition of a Vintage Port wine, sealed with natural cork stoppers, for 44 months post-bottling. The storage was performed in two different cellars, namely a cellar A with controlled temperature and humidity, and a cellar B, representing a traditional cellar, with uncontrolled temperature and humidity. The impact of bottle orientation was studied in cellar A, where the bottles were stored in horizontal and vertical positions. The phenolic and volatile composition of the bottled Vintage Port wine were analyzed after 6, 15 and 44 months. The results unveiled that the cellar conditions and bottle orientation had an impact in Port wine composition which was higher at 44 months post-bottling. The samples stored in the traditional cellar unveiled significantly higher yellow tones, lower tannin specific activity, and higher levels of furfural and 5-methylfurfural. Furthermore, the samples stored in the horizontal position revealed significant higher levels of total proanthocyanidins and higher tannin specific activity than the samples stored in the vertical position. Interestingly, for the first time to our knowledge, an ellagitannin-derived compound (Corklin) was detected in Vintage Port wines stored in the horizontal position, which results from the reaction of cork constituents with phenolic compounds present in wines.

Climate Change Effects on Grapevine Physiology and Biochemistry: Benefits and Challenges of High Altitude as an Adaptation Strategy

Grapevine berry quality for winemaking depends on complex and dynamic relationships between the plant and the environment. Winemakers around the world are demanding a better understanding of the factors that influence berry growth and development. In the last decades, an increment in air temperature, CO₂ concentration and dryness occurred in wine-producing regions, affecting the physiology and the biochemistry of grapevines, and by consequence the berry quality. The scientific community mostly agrees in a further raise as a result of climate change during the rest of the century. As a consequence, areas most suitable for viticulture are likely to shift into higher altitudes where mean temperatures are suitable for grape cultivation. High altitude can be defined as the minimum altitude at which the grapevine growth and development are differentially affected. At these high altitudes, the environments are characterized by high thermal amplitudes and great solar radiations, especially ultraviolet-B (UV-B). This review summarizes the environmental contribution of global high altitude-related climatic variables to the grapevine physiology and wine composition, for a better evaluation of the possible establishment of vineyards at high altitude in climate change scenarios.

Anti-Diabetic and Antioxidant Activities of Red Wine Concentrate Enriched with Polyphenol Compounds under Experimental Diabetes in Rats

We obtained red wine concentrate, which was enriched with natural polyphenolic compounds (PC concentrate). The main purpose was to study the hypoglycemic and antioxidant effects of the red wine concentrate, and its impact on key hematological parameters of rats with experimental diabetes mellitus. While administrating the red wine concentrate to rats with diabetes, partial recovering of glucose tolerance was promoted, as well as normalization of glycated hemoglobin level, an increase in the quantity of erythrocytes and hemoglobin concentration. PC concentrate had anti-radical effect, which was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazylradical (DPPH) method and effectively inhibited oxidation of phosphatidylcholine liposomes, induced by 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) as a free radical generator. It was also confirmed that PC concentrate had antioxidant properties in vivo. The contents of lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation products, the activity of catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were increased in the plasma of rats with diabetes mellitus. At the same time, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was decreased. The concentrate of red wine had a corrective effect on investigated indicators and caused their normalization in plasma of diabetic animals.

Yield and grape quality of three red grapevine cultivars (Vitis vinifera L.) in relation to altimetry

Environment has a great impact on berry composition. In this context we investigated the quality of extremely widespread grape varieties in Sardinia, cvs. Cannonau, Bovale sardo and Monica, cultivated at different altitudes. The work was conducted in a two-year period in two vineyards located respectively at 500 and 700 meters above sea level. Viticultural model and cultivation practices were the same for both vineyards. The following measurements were noted: (i) main phenological phases, (ii) yield and its components, (iii) must quality from veraison to harvest, and (iv) anthocyanin qualitative profiles at harvest. At higher altitude the phenological phases are delayed. Yield was not statistically influenced by altitude. The ripening of the main technological parameters, although similar among the vineyards, suggests that the effects of the different altitude are clear, but they vary according to year and are cultivar dependent. In cv. Cannonau, higher altitude promoted higher total soluble solids. The extractable anthocyanins were not influenced by altitude, although in all tested varieties the higher altitude favored a decrease in the ratio between non-acylated and acylated anthocyanins.

Effect of the harvest season on phenolic composition and oenological parameters of grapes and wines cv. ‘Touriga Nacional’ (Vitis vinifera L.) produced under tropical semi-arid climate, in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil

The northeastern region of São Francisco Valley is the third largest wine producer in Brazil, differentiated by the production of at least two harvests per year, generally in the first and second semesters, respectively. The productive cycle of the vine in the first semester is higher than in the second semester, mainly due to differences in temperature, with maximum and average temperatures of approximately 30 ºC and 26 ºC, respectively. Second semester is characterized by higher temperatures (summer season) and that promote a rapid maturation of the grapes. The objective of this work was to evaluate the phenolic composition, other oenological parameters and the sensorial profile of grapes and wines of cv. 'Touriga Nacional' (Vitis vinifera L.), characterizing grapes and wines from four harvest seasons, two of them referring to the first half of the year and two referring to the second half of the year, using a broad analytical approach. The experimental design consisted of three randomized blocks, with sixty plants marked in different lines and positions (twenty plants in each block at the beginning, middle and end of the vineyard). The results showed that there was a harvesting effect for some of the grape chemical compounds (monomeric anthocyanins, organic acids, condensed tannins and monomeric flavanols, for example) as well as in wines (calcium, monomeric anthocyanins, condensed tannins and monomeric flavanols). Regarding the sensorial profile of the wines, it was possible to observe that higher scores were attributed to floral aroma in wines from the first harvest (first half of the year). Fruity, spice and empyreumatic aromas were higher in wines from second harvest season (second half of the year). For other attributes, there was a tendency for higher variations between the period of study (2014 – 2017) than between the harvest seasons.

Wine industry by-product: Full polyphenolic characterization of grape stalks

In this research work grape stalk samples from the Douro region were analyzed concerning polyphenolic composition. Different solid-liquid extraction conditions were tested for reaching the optimal parameters to obtain higher amounts of polyphenols. In general, the best conditions comprise the use of a mixture of acetone/ethanol/water (1:1:1) at room temperature during 20 min, using a pre-wash treatment with deionized water. The polyphenolic extractions with acetone are generally more effective than without acetone. Total phenolic determination (Folin-Ciocalteu), antioxidant capacity (DPPH/FRAP) and more accurate methods such as HPLC-DAD and HPLC-ESI-MS were performed. An intensive polyphenolic characterization (including a possible identification of a new polyphenol) and compound quantification was achieved. A comparative study between these two analysis approaches was accomplished, which allowed to conclude that the Folin-Ciocalteu and DPPH/FRAP determinations do not always allow a direct correspondence between high phenolic content or antioxidant/reducing capacity and real high polyphenolic content on crude polyphenolic extracts.

Influence of vineyard altitude on Glera grape ripening (Vitis vinifera L.): effects on aroma evolution and wine sensory profile

BACKGROUND

Environmental factors have been acknowledged to greatly influence grape and wine aromas. Among them, the effect of altitude on grape aroma compounds has scarcely been debated in literature available to date. In the present study, we investigated the influence of altitude on grape composition and aroma evolution during ripening of Vitis vinifera L. cultivar Glera grown in Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG area (Italy).

RESULTS

The site at highest altitude (380 m above sea level) was warmer than the lowest site (200 m above sea level) and, even with differences in temperature in the range 1.5-2 °C, the impact of the cultivation site on grape ripening and aroma accumulation and preservation was significant. The lowest site demonstrated slower grape ripening, and grapes at harvest accumulated lower amounts of all of the main classes of aroma compounds typical of the Glera variety. Wines produced from the highest site were preferred in tasting trials for their more patent floral notes and elegance.

CONCLUSION

Altitude strongly influences grape ripening evolution and flavour accumulation in the Glera grape, and this result accounts for the different styles in the sparkling wines subsequently produced. Moreover, the present study shows that aroma compound biosynthesis, particularly that of benzenoides, starts before véraison in Glera. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

A saliva molecular imprinted localized surface plasmon resonance biosensor for wine astringency estimation

Wine astringency was evaluated based on the interaction of two complex matrices (red wine and saliva) by combining localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and molecular imprinted polymers (MIP) at gold nanodisks as an alternative to sensorial analysis. The main objective of the work was to simulate wine astringency inside the mouth by mimicking this biological system. The LSPR/MIP sensor provided a linear response for astringency expressed in pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) units in concentrations ranging from 1 to 140μmol/L. The sensor was also applied to wine samples correlating well with sensorial analysis obtained by a trained panel. The correlation of astringency and wine composition was also evaluated showing that anthocyanins may have an important role, not only for pigmentation but also in astringency.

Red wine polyphenol extract efficiently protects intestinal epithelial cells from inflammation via opposite modulation of JAK/STAT and Nrf2 pathways

The development of therapeutic approaches combining efficacy and safety represents an important goal in intestinal inflammation research. Recently, evidence has supported dietary polyphenols as useful tools in the treatment and prevention of chronic inflammatory diseases, but the mechanisms of action are still poorly understood. We here reveal molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory action of a non-alcoholic polyphenol red wine extract (RWE), operating at complementary levels via the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) and Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) pathways. RWE significantly reduced the nuclear levels of phosphorylated STAT1 and also the cellular levels of phosphorylated JAK1 induced by cytokines, suppressing the JAK/STAT inflammatory signalling cascade. In turn, RWE increased the Nrf2 nuclear level, activating the Nrf2 pathway, leading not only to an up-regulation of the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression but also to an increase of the glutamate-cysteine ligase subunit catalytic (GCLc) gene expression, enhancing the GSH synthesis, thereby counteracting GSH depletion that occurs under inflammatory conditions. Overall, data indicate that the anti-inflammatory action of RWE is exerted at complementary levels, via suppression of the JAK/STAT inflammatory pathway and positive modulation of the activity of Nrf2. These results point to the potential use of the RWE as an efficient, readily available and inexpensive therapeutic strategy in the context of gastrointestinal inflammation.

Isolation and quantification of oligomeric pyranoanthocyanin-flavanol pigments from red wines by combination of column chromatographic techniques

A combination of column chromatography on Toyopearl gel HW-40 (S) and polyamide resin has been developed for the preparative isolation and further determination of pyranoanthocyanins of oligomeric nature formed after reaction between anthocyanins and different flavanols in a complex wine matrix. Polyamide chromatography was found to be exceptionally useful to separate oligomeric pyanoanthocyanins from other classes of wine flavonoids and polymerized pigments into an advanced state of purity for further identification and quantification by HPLC-diode array detector coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS). Fractionation on Toyopearl gel chromatography allowed the separation of pyranoanthocyanins bearing the same flavanols (catechin, epicatechin and procyanidin dimers) but with different anthocyanin moieties (either acylated or non-acylated in the glucose residue) in order to allow further isolation of individual oligomeric pigments on C18 chromatography. A quantitative procedure for analyzing the major pyranoanthocyanin-flavanol derivatives in different aged wines is proposed for the first time. Results obtained showed good reproducibility and recovery regarding sample pretreatment and quantitative method for all analyzed oligomeric pyranoanthocyanins. The combination of these two chromatographic separations is likely to be applicable to the preparative isolation of other anthocyanin-derived pigments.