The Generation of Suspended Cell Wall Material May Limit the Effect of Ultrasound Technology in Some Varietal Wines.

The disruptive effect exerted by high-power ultrasound on grape cell walls enhances phenolic extraction, improving chromatic characteristics during red wine maceration. However, short maceration times may, sometimes, hinder this enhancement, and this effect could be attributed to the suspended cell wall material formation facilitated by sonication. This suspended material, having a strong affinity for phenolic compounds, can lead to their precipitation and elimination during subsequent vinification stages and, consequently, a significant portion of extracted phenolic compounds may not contribute to the final phenolic composition of the wine, impacting its chromatic features. To demonstrate this effect, sonicated grapes of two different varieties were vinified with No modified process that eliminated part of this suspended material. Results confirm our hypothesis; that is, the lack of positive outcomes in some cases is due to phenolic compound adsorption on suspended material.

Effect of Pre-fermentative Treatments on Polysaccharide Composition of White and Rosé Musts and Wines.

This paper studied the effect of conventional pre-fermentative techniques (direct pressing "CP" and cold maceration "CM") and an innovate technique (high power ultrasounds "S"), applied to Viogner and Monastrell grapes on the polysaccharide content of the musts, white and rosé wines, and after six months of bottle aging. The results showed that the longer pre-fermentation maceration time applied with the CM technique compared to the short ultrasonic maceration was key in the extraction of polysaccharides from the grape to the must. CP treatment produced wines with the lowest content of total soluble polysaccharide families since it was the least intense pretreatment for the disruption of the grape berry cell wall polysaccharides. Ultrasonic pretreatment could be used as a new tool to increase the solubilization of polysaccharides in wines, positively affecting the wine colloidal properties. During bottle aging, there wasn't a clear effect of pretreatments on the evolution of polysaccharides.

High-Power Ultrasound in Enology: Is the Outcome of This Technique Dependent on Grape Variety?

The disruptive effect exerted by high-power ultrasound (US) on grape cell walls is established as the reason behind the chromatic, aromatic and mouthfeel improvement that this treatment causes in red wines. Given the biochemical differences that exist between the cell walls of different grape varieties, this paper investigates whether the effect of the application of US in a winery may vary according to the grape variety treated. Wines were elaborated with Monastrell, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, applying a sonication treatment to the crushed grapes using industrial-scale equipment. The results showed a clear varietal effect. The wines made with sonicated Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes showed an important increase in the values of color intensity and concentration of phenolic compounds, and these increases were higher than those observed when sonication was applied to Monastrell crushed grapes, whereas Monastrell wines presented the highest concentration in different families of polysaccharides. These findings correlate with the differences in the composition and structure of their cell walls since those of Monastrell grapes presented biochemical characteristics associated with a greater rigidity and firmness of the structures.

The technology of high-power ultrasound and its effect on the color and aroma of rosé wines.

BACKGROUND: The application of high-power ultrasound (US) has been studied extensively to obtain value-added red wines using short maceration times. It is a technique of wide interest for the extraction of aromatic compounds and compounds responsible for color, so it could also be an important tool to use in the elaboration process of rosé wines. Thus, this study focused on the effect of the application of US on the phenolic, aromatic, and sensorial profile of rosé wines. For this, three different types of rosé wine were produced: a control with direct pressing after crushing, another wine obtained from a 4 h macerated must, and a wine whose crushed and destemmed grape was sonicated and subsequently pressed. RESULTS: The results showed a higher color intensity and a higher total polyphenol and anthocyanin content in the wine obtained from sonicated grape compared to both control wine and that obtained from grape macerated for 4 h. Ultrasound treatment enhanced the extraction of varietal volatile compounds in must, especially the free faction of terpenes and norisoprenoids. It also gave rise to wines with a higher concentration of C6 alcohols and other compounds such as guaiacol and 4-vinylguaiacol, but led to fewer fatty acids, especially C6, C4 and C8 acids. Sensorially these wines showed intense aromas of red fruits and flowers, while no defects in aroma or astringency were found. CONCLUSIONS: The color and sensory profile of the resulting wines indicate that the US may be an interesting tool for obtaining quality rosé wines, replacing the maceration stage and reducing potential oxidation problems. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Power ultrasound treatment of Viognier grapes as a tool to increase the aromatic potential of wines.

BACKGROUND: High-power ultrasound is a novel and non-thermal technique normally used in red vinification to increase the extraction of phenolic compounds. However, few studies have been carried out on its effect on the extraction of aroma compounds and their precursors in white grapes. This study evaluates the effect of high-power ultrasound at winery scale in the maceration of Viognier grapes on the content of varietal volatile compounds (free and glycosidically bound) in musts and wines, in comparison with wines from direct pressing and from short skin maceration. RESULTS: The pre-fermentative ultrasound treatment of the grapes produced an increase in most of the varietal compounds of musts and wines, both in the free fraction and in the bound one, especially in the C6 alcohols, terpenes and norisoprenoids, some of them of sensory relevance, while the effect on esters and lactones was less evident. Ultrasound maceration allowed us to obtain wines of higher aromatic intensity, with a more pronounced varietal character. CONCLUSION: The pre-fermentative ultrasound treatment of Viognier grapes increases the aromatic potential of the wines, as it favors the extraction of free and bound varietal volatile compounds. In addition, it allows the maceration time of the grapes to be reduced compared to conventional pre-fermentation techniques, thus avoiding oxidative processes that could negatively affect the aroma of the wines. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Revisiting the use of pectinases in enology: A role beyond facilitating phenolic grape extraction.

With the objective of improving both the extraction of phenolic compounds from grapes and their maintenance in the final wine, we compared the effect of favoring phenolic extraction with a pectolytic-based maceration enzyme with that of favoring both phenolic extraction and the partial elimination of the suspended material using a pectolytic-based clarification enzyme. The phenolic composition of the final wines and those adsorbed to the precipitated lees were analyzed. Both enzymes increased wine color intensity and phenolic content, but the best results were observed when the clarification enzyme was used. This enzyme generated the largest losses of phenolics bound to precipitated lees. However, this resulted in a positive effect, the precipitation of lees rich in phenolic compounds probably created a pronounced gradient of phenolic compounds from grapes to must/wine and better chromatic characteristics in the final wine, compared with the wine made using a traditional maceration enzyme.

Effect of Sonication Treatment and Maceration Time in the Extraction of Polysaccharide Compounds during Red Wine Vinification.

The application of high-power ultrasounds (US) at 28 kHz to the crushed grapes and the use of different pomace contact times caused changes in the content and composition of monosaccharides and polysaccharides in the musts and wines. These differences were maintained from the moment of pressing (end of maceration) until the end of the alcoholic fermentation. The US increased the content of monosaccharides and polysaccharides in the musts by facilitating their extraction from the solid parts during maceration. The application of medium maceration time (3 days) to sonicated grapes led to an extraction of polysaccharides rich in arabinose and galactose, rhamnogalacturonan type II (RG-II) and mannoproteins (MP), similar to that observed in the control wines made with an extended maceration of 7 days (968.21 vs. 1029.45; 895.04 vs. 1700.50; 356.81 vs. 343.95, respectively). This fact was attributed to a higher extraction in the must during the sonication process and to an important release of pectic polysaccharides during the pressing of the sonicated pomace, which is reported here for the first time. Therefore, the US technology could be useful for increasing the polysaccharide content in the wines or for reducing the maceration time needed to achieve certain levels of wine polysaccharides.

Ultrasound treatment of crushed grapes: Effect on the must and red wine polysaccharide composition.

This paper studied the effect on the molecular weight and polysaccharide composition of musts and wines of the application of high-power ultrasound (US) at 20 and 28 kHz on crushed grapes. Two different pomace maceration times (short and mid) were tested for sonicated and control vinifications. A long pomace maceration time was also tested for non-treated wines. In must samples, US significantly increased the content of monosaccharides and polysaccharides rich in arabinose and galactose (PRAG), and the average molecular weight of smaller PRAG, mannoproteins (MP) or mannans. The 28 kHz had a major effect on most wine monosaccharides and grape polysaccharides. The wine obtained from sonicated grapes at 28 kHz and with mid maceration had higher rhamnogalacturonans type II and PRAG content than its control, and closer polysaccharide and monosaccharide content to long maceration control wines. No significant differences were obtained in the MP content between sonicated and control wines.

Effect of Power Ultrasound Treatment on Free and Glycosidically-Bound Volatile Compounds and the Sensorial Profile of Red Wines.

This study presents the effect of the application of high-power ultrasound to crushed grapes, at a winery-scale, on the content of varietal volatile compounds (free and glycosidically-bound) in musts and on the overall aroma of wines. Two different frequencies (20 kHz and 28 kHz) were tested and the combination of grape sonication and different maceration times on wine aroma was also evaluated. The volatile compounds were isolated by solid phase extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, carrying out a sensory evaluation of wines by quantitative descriptive analysis. Sonication produced an increase in the concentration of free varietal compounds such as C6 alcohols, terpenes and norisoprenoids in musts and also in wines made by 48 h of skin maceration, being less efficient in the extraction of the bound fraction. Fermentation compounds were also positively affected by ultrasound treatment, although this effect was variable depending on the frequency used, the maceration time and the type of compound. All the wines made from sonicated grapes had better scores in the evaluated olfactory attributes with respect to the control wines. Our results indicate that sonication could produce an increase in the content of some volatile compounds of sensory relevance, obtaining wines with an aroma quality similar or higher than those elaborated with longer maceration times.

The Application of Ultrasound and Enzymes Could Be Promising Tools for Recovering Polyphenols during the Aging on Lees Process in Red Winemaking.

The final concentration of phenolic compounds in wines is usually lower than what might be expected, given their concentration in grapes. This is in part due to the interactions between cell walls from grapes and yeast with phenolics during red winemaking. Most of these aggregates are insoluble and end up precipitating, forming part of the lees. The objective of this study is to determine the capacity of ultrasounds and/or enzymes treatments (ß-glucanase and a pectolytic enzyme) to release the anthocyanins and tannins adsorbed in the lees. The ultrasound (US) applied for 120 min slightly favored the extraction of anthocyanins and doubled tannin extraction. Shorter sonication times did not show any positive effect. The combination of ß-glucanase and pectolytic enzyme was always more effective in the liberation of anthocyanins (both no-acylated and acylated anthocyanins) and tannins than the enzymes acting separately. The combination of US (120 min), ß-glucanase and pectolytic enzyme showed an additive effect, increasing the extraction of phenolic compounds with respect to the individual treatments and also releasing a large quantity of low molecular weight polysaccharides, compounds of enological importance. These results of this study could be of enological interest, facilitating and accelerating the aging on lees process, through the liberation of polysaccharides and the recovery of the phenolic compounds lost during vinification.

A New Approach to the Reduction of Alcohol Content in Red Wines: The Use of High-Power Ultrasounds.

BACKGROUND: To obtain wines with a lower percentage of alcohol, the simplest approach would be an earlier harvest of the grapes. However, this has implications for the wine composition and quality, due to the lack of phenolic maturity that these grapes may present. A technological innovation that could help in this situation could be the use of ultrasound in wineries. METHODS: Grapes were harvested with two different ripening levels (25.4 °Brix and 29 °Brix), transported to the winery, and vinified. Also, a large-scale high-power ultrasound system was used to treat part of the less mature grapes just after crushing. These grapes were also vinified. The three different vinifications were skin-macerated for 7 days. The wine aroma compounds and physicochemical, chromatic, and sensory characteristics were analyzed at the time of bottling. RESULTS: The wine made with the ultrasound-treated grapes showed very similar characteristics to the wine made with the more mature grapes, especially regarding total phenol and tannin content, but with an alcohol content 15% lower than the latter. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that this technology could be applied to grapes to favor the extraction of grape phenolic compounds, even when grape phenolic maturity is not complete, allowing the production of quality wines with a reduced alcohol content.