Macrowine 2021
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Impact of industrial-scale serial filtration on macromolecules in red wines

Impact of industrial-scale serial filtration on macromolecules in red wines

Abstract

Filtration is a critical step in ensuring the clarity and microbial stability of wine prior to bottling. However the process of filtering potentially reduces red wine quality by removing some of the macromolecules that contribute to the texture of the wine. Commercial red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon (CAS) and Shiraz (SHZ), of two vintages and two grades (premium grade wines from the older vintage: CAS13 and SHZ13; and standard grade wines from a younger vintage: CAS14 and SHZ14) were filtered through industrial-scale commercial filtration units prior to bottling. Samples were taken before and after cross-flow filtration, lenticular filters, 0.65 µm and 0.45 µm pore size nylon membrane filters. The concentration and composition of macromolecules, including tannins and polysaccharides, were measured in all samples as well as particle size distribution and wine colour. Tannin concentration was measured using the methyl-cellulose precipitation assay and colours were measured with the modified Somer’s colour assay. Tannins were isolated from wines using solid-phase extraction with Oasis HLB cartridges and subsequently analysed for molecular weight and subunit composition with size-exclusion chromatography and phloroglucinolysis (acid-catalysed cleavage reactions), respectively. Polysaccharides were isolated from wine with ethanol precipitation and were subsequently dialysed and analysed using size-exclusion chromatography. The composition of the wines varied with age and variety. Both CAS wines contained more tannin and fewer polysaccharides than the SHZ wines, while both older premium wines (CAS13 and SHZ13) demonstrated more tannin and fewer polysaccharides than the younger, standard grade wines. Cross-flow filtration removed the greatest number of particles from the wine, with all other levels of finer filtration inducing no significant effect on macromolecule concentration or composition. These results suggest that sterile filtration of commercial red wines is unlikely to cause deleterious effects on wine quality.

Publication date: May 17, 2024

Issue: Macrowine 2016

Type: Poster

Authors

Jacqui McRae*, Agnieszka Mierczynska-Vasile, Alison Soden, Martin Day, Paul Smith

*Australian Wine Research Institute

Contact the author

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Macrowine | Macrowine 2016

Citation

Related articles…

Effects of a new vacuum evaporation method on chemical and sensory properties of must and wine

A new process for vacuum evaporation was developed where evaporation takes place near the inner surface of a vortex produced by a rotor submerged in the liquid. Contrary to the state of the art the Vortex rotor process does not need a vacuum vessel but the rotating liquid creates a geometrically stable low pressure void surrounded by a vortex stabilized by the equilibrium between centrifugal forces and the pressure difference. First tests with water and sugar solutions at concentrations similar to grape must were conducted to verify the theoretical predictions, test the performance under different conditions and study the effect of various process parameters (Rösti et al 2015).

Impact of heating must before fermentation on Chardonnay wines

Prefermentation steps of white winemaking are very important for controlling the stability and the sensory attributes of wines. Usually musts are clarified by cold settling to prevent the start of the fermentation, before racking big lees and thus limiting the appearance of vegetable or reduction off flavour while favouring an aromatic expression with low turbidity. Besides, to reach the protein stability, some white wines further require a bentonite fining, sometimes associated with negative effects on the sensory quality. This study aims to know the impact of musts heating after pressing on a Chardonnay wine in northern conditions by comparison with a classic cold racking of the must.

Influence of preflowering basal leaf removal on aromatic composition of cv. Tempranillo wine from semiarid climate (Extremadura Western Spain)

Abstract In this work the effects of early leaf removal performed manually at preflowering phenological stage, on the volatile composition of Tempranillo (Vitis vinifera L.) wines were studied. From 2009-2011 vintages 34 wine volatile compounds were identified and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) where early leaf removal only modified 25 of them. The total C6 compounds, acetates and volatiles acids (with exception of isobutyric acid) were affected by defoliation, whereas alcohols and esters showed a minor effect. Furthermore the vintage effect also was shown.

How small amounts of oxygen introduced during bottling and storage can influence the metabolic fingerprint and SO2 content of white wines

The impact of minute amounts of headspace oxygen on the post-bottling development of wine is generally considered to be very important, since oxygen, packaging and storage conditions can either damage or improve wine quality. This is reflected in the generalised use of inert bottling lines, where the headspace between the white wine and the stopper is filled with an inert gas. This experiment aimed to address some open questions about the chemistry of the interaction between wine and oxygen, crucial for decisions regarding optimal closure. While it is known that similar amounts of oxygen affect different wines to a variable extent, our knowledge of chemistry is not sufficient to construct a predictive method.

Update knowledge about the presence of condensed tannins in grapes and their contributions to astringency perception

Condensed tannin is a principle group of polyphenol compounds derived from grape, greatly contributing to the bioactivity and the sensory perception of wine. Condensed tannins present as a heterogeneous mixture in nature involving various degrees of both polymerization and galloylation. Even though multiple attempts focusing on fractionation of grape condensed tannins by solid-phase have been conducted over the past decades, few individual tannins have been purified and identified. Hence, our knowledge on grape and wine condensed tannin moleculars has to be limited at the several known monomeric, dimeric and trimeric proanthocyanidins