IVAS 2022 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 IVAS 9 IVAS 2022 9 Use of a recombinant protein (Harpin αβ) as a tool to improve phenolic composition in wines

Use of a recombinant protein (Harpin αβ) as a tool to improve phenolic composition in wines

Abstract

Climate change is modifying environmental conditions in all wine-growing areas of the world. High temperatures are the cause of an increased imbalance between industrial maturity and phenolic maturity, resulting in berries with high sugar levels, low concentration in organic acids and reduced concentrations in aromas and phenolic compounds. These grapes produce wines with high alcohol content and lack freshness, color intensity, and aromatic complexity. Viticultural strategies have been developed in recent years in order to maintain the quality of red wines, with a two-fold objective: improve the phenolic composition of wines and reduce their alcoholic content. Harpin αβ is a recombinant protein and elicitor of hypersensitive responses. When Harpin αβ is applied to crops, the expression of growth and defense genes is stimulated. These genes are generally associated with metabolic signals and pathways related to functions of protein and sugar transport and vegetative development. The objective of this work has been to apply Harpin αβ to the vines after veraison in order to advance harvest for reducing the alcohol content of the final wines while maintaining or improving their phenolic composition compared to full maturity grapes. This experiment was carried out in a commercial vineyard sited in Jumilla (Spain). Three treatments were applied; i) Control: untreated application of Harpin harvested at 15º Baume, ii) 2T: grapes treated twice with Harpin, at the time of veraison and 15 days later and harvested at 13º Baume and iii) 3T: an extra application of the compound made 15 days after the second treatment and grapes were also harvested at 13º Baume. In each treatment, the dose of Harpin αβ applied was 150 g/ha. All treatments were vinified in the same way. Once the wines were bottled, the physicochemical and chromatic parameters were analyzed. Wines from grapes of 2T treatments harvested at 13º Baume decrease significantly the pH, color intensity and total phenolic index of the wines. No significant difference was observed in the total acidity parameter. On the other hand, 3T treatmen increased significantly total anthocyanins compare to control wines. Moreover, this treatment obtained the highest concentration of tannins, although these differences were not significant compared to the control treatment. It is clear that the 3T treatment was much more effective in improving the phenolic concentration of the wines than the 2T treatment. These results showed that the Harpin application in the vineyard (3T) produced wines with similar phenolic content that the wines produced from fully ripe grapes but with 20% less alcohol. This makes the use of Harpin αβ an interesting strategy for winemakers seeking a natural reduction of alcoholic content in their wines without losing quality.

DOI:

Publication date: June 24, 2022

Issue: IVAS 2022

Type: Poster

Authors

Martínez-Moreno Alejandro ¹, Martínez-Pérez Pilar ¹, Bautista-Ortin Ana Belén¹ Pérez-Porras Paula¹ and Gomez-Plaza Encarna ¹

¹Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Murcia

Contact the author

Keywords

climate change, elicitors, grape ripening, alcohol

Tags

IVAS 2022 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Elucidating vineyard site contributions to key sensory molecules: Identification of correlations between elemental composition and volatile aroma profile of site-specific Pinot noir wines

The reproducibility of elemental profile in wines produced across multiple vintages has been previously reported using grapes from a single scion clone of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir. The grapevines were grown on fourteen different vineyard sites, from Oregon to southern California in the U.S.A., which span distances from approximately hundreds of meters to 1450 km, while elevations range from near sea level to nearly 500 m. In addition, sensorial (i.e. aroma, taste, and mouthfeel) and chemical (i.e. polyphenolic and volatile) differences across the different vineyard sites have also been observed among these wines at two aging time points. While strong evidence exists to support that grapes grown in different regions can produce wines with unique chemical and sensorial profiles, even when a single clone is used, the understanding of growing site characteristics that result in this reproducible differentiation continues to emerge. One hypothesis is that the elemental profile that a vineyard site imparts to the grape berries and the resulting wine is an important contributor to this differentiation in chemistry and sensory of wines. For example, various classes of enzymes that catalyze the formation of key aroma compounds or their precursors require specific metals. In this work, we begin to report correlations between elemental and volatile aroma profiles of site-specific Pinot noir wines, made under standardized winemaking conditions, that have been previously shown to be distinguished separately by these chemical analyses.

Modeling the suitability of Pinot Noir in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in a changing climate

Air temperature is the key driver of grapevine phenology and a significant environmental factor impacting yield and quality for a winegrape growing region. In this study the optimal downscaled CMIP5 ensemble for computing thegrowing season average temperature (GST) viticulture climate classification index was determined to spatially compute on a decadal basis predictions of the GST climate index and the grapevine sugar ripeness (GSR) model for Pinot Noir throughout the Willamette Valley (WV) American Viticultural Area (AVA). Forecasts for average temperature and a 220 g/L target sugar concentration level were computed using daily Localized Constructed Analogs (LOCA) downscaled CMIP5 historic and Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) future climate projections of minimum and maximum daily temperature. We explore spatiotemporal trends of the GST climate classification index and Pinot Noir specific applications of the GSR phenology model for the WV AVA. Spatiotemporal computations of the GST climate index and Pinot Noir specific applications of the GSR model enable the opportunity to explore relationships between their computed values with one intent being to provide updated GST ranges that better align with current temperature-based modeling understanding of Pinot Noir grapevine phenology and the viticultural application of LOCA CMIP5 climate projections for the WV AVA. The Pinot Noir specific applications of the GSR model or the GST index with updated bounds indicate that the percent of the WV AVA area suitable for Pinot Noir production is currently at or near its peak value in the upper 80s to lower 90s of this century.

Grapevine yield estimation in a context of climate change: the GraY model

Grapevine yield is a key indicator to assess the impacts of climate change and the relevance of adaptation strategies in a vineyard landscape. At this scale, a yield model should use a number of parameters and input data in relation to the information available and be able to reproduce vineyard management decisions (e.g. soil and canopy management, irrigation). In this study, we used data from six experimental sites in Southern France (cv. Syrah) to calibrate a model of grapevine yield limited by water constraint (GraY). Each yield component (bud fertility, number of berries per bunch, berry weight) was calculated as a function of the soil water availability simulated by the WaLIS water balance model at critical phenological phases. The model was then evaluated in 10 grapegrowers’ plots, covering a diversity of biophysical and technical contexts (soil type, canopy size, irrigation, cover crop). We identified three critical periods for yield formation: after flowering on the previous year for the number of bunches and berries, around pre-veraison and post-veraison of the same year for mean berry weight. Yields were simulated with a model efficiency (EF) of 0.62 (NRMSE = 0.28). Bud fertility and number of berries per bunch were more accurately simulated (EF = 0.90 and 0.77, NRMSE = 0.06 and 0.10, respectively) than berry weight (EF = -0.31, NRMSE = 0.17). Model efficiency on the on-farm plots reached 0.71 (NRMSE = 0.37) simulating yields from 1 to 8 kg/plant. The GraY model is an original model estimating grapevine yield evolution on the basis of water availability under future climatic conditions.  It allows to evaluate the effects of various adaptation levers such as planting density, cover crop management, fruit/leaf ratio, shading and irrigation, in various production contexts.

Short-term relationships between climate and grapevine trunk diseases in southern French vineyards

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...

Sustainable fertilisation of the vineyard in Galicia (Spain)

Excessive fertilization of the vineyard leads to low quality grapes, increased costs and a negative impact on the environment. In order to establish an integrated management system aimed at a sustainable fertilization of the vineyards, nutritional reference levels were established. For this purpose, 30 representative vineyards of the Albariño variety were studied, in which soil and petiole analyses were carried out for two years and grape yield and quality at harvest were measured. In both years of study, soil pH, calcium, sodium and cation exchange capacity were positively correlated with calcium content and negatively correlated with manganese in grapes. Irrigated vineyards had higher levels of aluminium in soil and lower levels of calcium in petiole. Climatic conditions were very different in the years of the study. The year 2019 was colder than usual, in 2020 there was a marked water stress with high summer temperatures. This resulted in medium-high acidity in grapes in 2019 and low acidity in 2020, with sugar levels being similar both years. A very marked decrease in must amino nitrogen was observed in 2020, with ammonia nitrogen remaining stable. The correlation of acidity and sugar values in grapes with soil and petiole analysis data made it possible to establish reference levels for the nutritional diagnosis of the Albariño variety in this region. Based on these results, an easy-to-use TIC application is currently being created for grapegrowers, aimed at improving the sustainability of the vineyard through reasoned fertilization. This study has now been extended to other Galician vine varieties.