Application of an in vitro digestion model to study the bioaccessibility and the effect of the intestinal microbiota on the red wine proanthocyanidins 

Wine perception is a multisensory experience that makes use of the sight, smell, and taste senses. When wine is sensorially assessed, the stimulus received generates multiple signals that tasters convert into organoleptic descriptors. Colour is commonly the first attribute evaluated during wine tasting. Moreover, the colour properties provide the taster with a priori information of the wine’s aroma. This preconceived perception is later confirmed or denied during the aroma evaluation.

In a context of sustainable agriculture, “agroecological immunity” is an emerging concept to reduce the use of chemical pesticides to protect crops against pathogens. This alternative strategy aims to combine different levers including the use of “bio”solutions. These include biocontrol products, some of which being plant defense elicitors, as well as products authorized in organic farming such as copper or sulfur. In vineyards, depending on climate conditions, powdery and downy mildews can be devastating diseases.

Vines are exposed to environmental conditions that cause abiotic stress on the plants (drought, nutrient and mineral deficits, salinity, etc.). Polyamines are growth regulators involved in various physiological processes, as in abiotic plant stress responses. Stressful conditions can modify grape’s composition, and in this work, we have focused on studying the effect of abiotic stress on the composition of polyamines and amino acids in grapes. In addition, the effect of grape variety on these compounds has been studied.

In the O Ribeiro Denomination of Origin, there is a winemaking tradition of growing vines under a high-density plantation framework (8,920 vines/ha) and maintaining its vegetative cycle under rainfed conditions.
Currently, viticulture is advancing to plantation frames in which the density is considered medium (5,555 vines/ha), thus allowing mechanized work to be carried out for vineyard management operations. Although, the application of irrigation applied proportionally to the needs of the vegetative cycle of the vine, is a factor that increasingly helps a good development of the vine compared to the summer period, with increasingly uncertain weather forecasts.

Brandy is a spirit drink made from “wine spirit” (<86% Alcohol by Volume – ABV; high levels of congeners and they are mainly less volatile than ethanol), it may be blended with a “wine distillate” (<94.8%ABV; low levels of congeners and these are mainly more volatile than ethanol), as long as that distillate does not exceed a maximum of 50% of the alcoholic content of the finished product[1]. Brandy must be aged for at least 6 months in oak casks with <1000L of capacity. During ageing, changes occur in colour, flavour, and aroma that improve the quality of the original distillate.