Physicochemical characterisation of white, rosé and red wine lees

Abstract

Wine lees are of considerable interest because their solid fraction contains microorganisms, tartaric acid and organic residues, and may provide compounds with technological applications in the food and wine industries. This study characterised coarse and fine lees from white, rosé, and red winemaking. Alcohol, ash, dry extract and phenolic compounds were measured using official OIV methods. Total nitrogen was determined by the Kjeldahl method, total polysaccharides were estimated from total sugars, beta-glucans were measured enzymatically, and soluble protein, amino acids, peptides and residual enzyme activities were assessed using standard analytical methods. Lees contained high total protein levels (32.1–40.4 %), with marked variability in polysaccharides (10.4–45.5 %) and ash (10.2–41.8 %). Peptides and amino acids represented less than 4 %, while polyphenols were an important fraction in red-wine lees. Principal component analysis differentiated coarse from fine white-wine lees and associated red-wine lees with higher total polyphenol content. Coarse white-wine lees had higher polysaccharide content, whereas fine white and rosé lees contained more soluble protein. These results suggest that, as winemaking progresses, autolysis reduces total polysaccharides and increases soluble proteins, peptides, and amino acids. Composition therefore distinguishes coarse and fine lees and supports the potential recovery of nitrogenous compounds for use in the wine industry.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Government of Navarre for predoctoral grant BDNS 779453, which supported this doctoral research.