terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Congress on Grapevine and Wine Sciences 9 2ICGWS-2023 9 Role of anthocyanins and copigmentation in flavonol solubility in red wines 

Role of anthocyanins and copigmentation in flavonol solubility in red wines 

Abstract

Over the last years, due to climate change, several red wines, such as the Sangiovese wines, have been often subjected to loss of clarity due to the formation of deposits of fine needle-shaped crystals. This phenomenon turned out to be due to an excess of quercetin (Q) and its glycosides (Q-Gs) in wines. These compounds are synthesized to a large extent when grapes are excessively exposed to UVB radiations in vineyards[1]. Unfortunately, it is not easy to predict the degree of Q precipitation because its solubility strongly depends on the wine and matrix composition[2].  Surprisingly, some red wines rich in anthocyanins, even if contained high amount of Q, did not show any precipitates. Likely anthocyanins favour the solubility of Q since flavonols are among the most powerful cofactors involved in the copigmentation phenomenon. Thus, in this study, the role of anthocyanins in Q solubility was evaluated by adding known amounts of grape-derived anthocyanins into model solutions containing either Q or Q-Gs. The effects of pH and time on the Q solubility, copigmentation as well as on the hydrolysis of Q-Gs were determined. Our data showed that the solubility of Q passed from 5 mg/L to 25 mg/L when the amount of grape-derived anthocyanins added into the model solutions increased from 0 to 500 mg/L. Experimental samples were investigated over 30 days and significant changes in Q solubility, correlated to the variation in copigmentation and in anthocyanins/quercetin ratio, were observed. These results can assist wine producers to better evaluate the level of flavonol precipitation in red wines and to develop appropriate strategies in order to avoid undesired precipitations in bottle.   

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank the Biolaffort Company for funding.

References:

1) Martínez-Lüscher J. et al. (2019). Flavonol profile is a reliable indicator to assess canopy architecture and the exposure of red wine grapes to solar radiation. Frontiers in plant science, 10, 10. DOI 10.3389/fpls.2019.00010.

2) Gambuti A. et al. (2020). New insights into the formation of precipitates of quercetin in Sangiovese wines. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 57, 2602-2611. DOI 10.1007/s13197-020-04296-7

DOI:

Publication date: October 5, 2023

Issue: ICGWS 2023

Type: Article

Authors

Alessandra Luciano1, Luigi Picariello1, Martino Forino1, Angelita Gambuti1*

1 Department of Agricultural Sciences, Section of Vine and Wine Sciences, University of Napoli ″Federico II″, Viale Italia, Avellino 83100, Italy

Contact the author*

Keywords

quercetin, quercetin glycosides, solubility, red wines, anthocyanins, copigmentation crystals, precipitation

Tags

2ICGWS | ICGWS | ICGWS 2023 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

A novel approach for the identification of new biomarkers of wine consumption in human urine using untargeted metabolomics

Wine is one of the most representative components of Mediterranean diet. Moderate wine intake together with food, has been positively correlated with reduced risk of many chronic diseases. This beneficial effect seems to be ascribed to elevated polyphenolic content of wine [1]. Traditional approaches for the identification of wine biomarkers consumption include targeted metabolomics that focuses on the quantification of well-defined metabolites, losing a valuable information about a massive number of compounds. On the other hand, untargeted metabolomics can disclose a large quantity of signals corresponding to potential biomarkers in a single analysis with high sensitivity and resolution.

Read More

Green pruning of shoots to force new sprouting of buds, in fruit set and in pea size: vegetative, productive and maturation effects, in cv. Verdejo

The context of climate crisis leads to the acceleration of technological ripening of grapes, with unsuitable loss of acidity, so various vineyard management alternatives are being considered to delay the grape ripening. The delay of the vegetative cycle towards a period of milder temperatures affects ripening, but vine behavior can vary according to the area, conduction, watering, variety, etc. A work is proposed to know the response to the green pruning of shoots, executed in fruit set and in pea size, in cv. Verdejo.

Read More

First results on the chemical composition of red wines from the pressing of marc

In the Bordeaux vineyards, press wine represents approximately 15% of the total volume of wine produced[1]. Valuing this large volume of wine is necessary from an economic point of view, but also because of their organoleptic contribution to the blend, and their contribution to the construction of wines for laying down. Therefore, this study was developed considering the lack of recent scientific knowledge on the composition of red press wines. The aim of this study is to establish an initial assessment of their chemical composition including aromatic compounds and a phenolic part.

Read More

Ultra-High Pressure Homogenization (UHPH): a technique that allows the reduction of SO2 in winemaking

Ultra-High Pressure Homogenization (UHPH) is an innovative, efficient and non-thermal technology that can be applied at different stages in winemaking in order to reduce or avoid the use of sulphites. During 2022 vintage, a batch of Xarel·lo must was processed by UHPH at 300 MPa with an inlet temperature (Ti) of 4 ºC. In order to verify the influence of the UHPH treatment in wine characteristics, alcoholic fermentations with this must (UHPH) were carried out and compared with a control batch (without SO2 addition (C)) and a sulphited batch, in which 60 mg/L of total SO2 (SO2) were added.

Read More

Implications of the nature of organic mulches used in vineyards on grapevine water status, yield, berry quality and biological soil health  

Climate emergency is going to affect the agricultural suistainability, wine grapes being probably one of the crops more sensitive to environmental constraints. In this context, mitigation strategies such as the revalorization of agricultural wastes are paramount to cope with the current challenges. The use of organic mulches has been reported to reduce soil water evaporation and improve vine water status, reduce soil erosion, and increase soil organic matter with little impact on berry quality. However, less is known about their effects on the microbiote of vineyards.

Read More