Evaluating the Atypical Aging Potential Development in Sparkling Wines Can Be Achieved by Assessing the Base Wines at the End of the Alcoholic Fermentation.

Traditional sparkling wine production is a lengthy and costly process, involving a double fermentation step and a period of aging sur lie; thus, monitoring quality during the key manufacturing stages is crucial. The effects of the second fermentation on the development of 2-aminoacetophenone (AAP), the main marker of the atypical aging (ATA) defect, were investigated on 55 base wines (BWs) and corresponding sparkling wines (SWs) produced in an experimental winery. While the AAP content of the SWs was observed to be higher than the BWs, it was found that an artificial aging test carried out on the BWs could be a good predictor of ATA development in SWs. Further, the antioxidant capacity of the SWs was noticed to correlate well with the potential AAP formed during accelerated aging. Finally, an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model of linearization capable of predicting AAP formation in SWs using the data obtained from the corresponding BWs was created.

Evidence of the Relationship between the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) and the Potential Exposure of White Wines to Atypical Aging (ATA).

Atypical aging (ATA) is a well-known wine defect that leads to unacceptable off-odors of wet mop, soap, waxy, furniture varnish, and dish rag. The main compound that is responsible for these undesired scents, 2-aminoacetophenone (AAP), results from the oxidative degradation of 3-indole acetic acid. This study aimed to investigate different technological factors for a possible effect on the oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) and ATA development in white wine. Oxygenation during fermentation did not result in a significant effect on the development of ORAC or ATA development. Instead, the addition of ascorbic acid after vinification led to increased ORAC and decreased AAP formation. The first evidence of a tendency toward a correlation between ORAC and potential ATA development was found, with r = 0.365. This study showed the potential of the ORAC assay for an early assessment of the possible formation of ATA during wine storage.

Using In Vitro Cultured Berries to Unravel the Effects of Heat- and ABA-Induced Stress on Thiol Precursor Biosynthesis in Sauvignon Blanc.

Global warming, heat waves, and seasonal drought pose serious threats to crops, such as grapevine, that are valued for their secondary metabolites, which are of primary importance for the wine industry. Discriminating the effects of distinct environmental factors in the open field is challenging. In the present study, in vitro cultured berries of Sauvignon Blanc were exposed to individual and combined stress factors to investigate the effects on the biosynthesis of the thiol precursors. Our results confirm the complexity and extreme reactivity of the accumulation process in grapes. However, they also indicate that heat stress has a positive effect on the production of the Cys-3SH precursor. Moreover, we identified several candidate genes, such as VvGSTs and VvGGT that are potentially involved in biosynthesis and consistently modulated. Nonetheless, we were unable to conclusively determine the effects of stresses on the biosynthesis of other precursors nor could we formulate hypotheses regarding their regulation.

Elucidation of arsenic detoxification mechanism in Marchantia polymorpha: The role of ACR3.

The arsenic-specific ACR3 transporter plays pivotal roles in As detoxification in yeast and a group of ancient tracheophytes, the ferns. Despite putative ACR3 genes being present in the genomes of bryophytes, whether they have the same relevance also in this lineage is currently unknown. In this study, we characterized the MpACR3 gene from the bryophyte Marchantia polymorpha L. through a multiplicity of functional approaches ranging from phylogenetic reconstruction, expression analysis, loss- and gain-of-function as well as genetic complementation with an MpACR3 gene tagged with a fluorescent protein. Genetic complementation demonstrates that MpACR3 plays a pivotal role in As tolerance in M. polymorpha, with loss-of-function Mpacr3 mutants being hypersensitive and MpACR3 overexpressors more tolerant to As. Additionally, MpACR3 activity regulates intracellular As concentration, affects its speciation and controls the levels of intracellular oxidative stress. The MpACR3::3xCitrine appears to localize at the plasma membrane and possibly in other endomembrane systems. Taken together, these results demonstrate the pivotal function of ACR3 detoxification in both sister lineages of land plants, indicating that it was present in the common ancestor to all embryophytes. We propose that Mpacr3 mutants could be used in developing countries as low-cost and low-technology visual bioindicators to detect As pollution in water.

Influence of flash heating and aspergillopepsin I supplementation on must and wine attributes of aromatic varieties.

The protein instability with haze formation represents one of the main faults occurring in white and rosé wines. Among the various solutions industrially proposed, aspergillopepsin I (AP-I) supplementation coupled with must heating (60-75 °C) has been recently approved by OIV and the European Commission for ensuring protein stability of wines. This study investigates the impact of AP-I either applied independently or in combination with flash pasteurization on the chemical composition of grape must and wines derived from Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer. The efficacy on protein stability of a complete treatment combining heat (70 °C) and AP-I (HP) was confirmed through heat test and bentonite requirement, although no differences were observed between must heating and HP treatments. However, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of unstable pathogenesis-related proteins revealed that AP-I supplementation reduced chitinases and thaumatin-like proteins compared to the non-enzymed samples, with and without must heating. Amino acid increase was reported only in HP musts, particularly in Sauvignon Blanc. The concentration of yeast-derived aroma compounds in Gewürztraminer wines was increased by must heating; compared to controls, flash pasteurization rose the overall acetate esters content of 85 % and HP of 43 %, mostly due to isoamyl acetate. However, heat treatments -with or without AP-I- reduced terpenes up to 68 %. Despite the different aroma profiles, no differences were observed for any descriptor for both varieties in wine tasting, and only a slight decrease trend was observed for the floral intensity and the typicality descriptors in heated wines.

Aromatic Characterisation of Moscato Giallo by GC-MS/MS and Validation of Stable Isotopic Ratio Analysis of the Major Volatile Compounds.

Among the Moscato grapes, Moscato Giallo is a winegrape variety characterised by a high content of free and glycosylated monoterpenoids, which gives wines very intense notes of ripe fruit and flowers. The aromatic bouquet of Moscato Giallo is strongly influenced by the high concentration of linalool, geraniol, linalool oxides, limonene, α-terpineol, citronellol, hotrienol, diendiols, trans/cis-8-hydroxy linalool, geranic acid and myrcene, that give citrus, rose, and peach notes. Except for quali-quantitative analysis, no investigations regarding the isotopic values of the target volatile compounds in grapes and wines are documented in the literature. Nevertheless, the analysis of the stable isotope ratio represents a modern and powerful tool used by the laboratories responsible for official consumer protection, for food quality and genuineness assessment. To this aim, the aromatic compounds extracted from grapes and wine were analysed both by GC-MS/MS, to define the aroma profiles, and by GC-C/Py-IRMS, for a preliminary isotope compound-specific investigation. Seventeen samples of Moscato Giallo grapes were collected during the harvest season in 2021 from two Italian regions renowned for the cultivation of this aromatic variety, Trentino Alto Adige and Veneto, and the corresponding wines were produced at micro-winery scale. The GC-MS/MS analysis confirmed the presence of the typical terpenoids both in glycosylated and free forms, responsible for the characteristic aroma of the Moscato Giallo variety, while the compound-specific isotope ratio analysis allowed us to determine the carbon (δ13C) and hydrogen (δ2H) isotopic signatures of the major volatile compounds for the first time.

Isotopic, mycotoxin, and pesticide analysis for organic authentication along the production chain of wheat-derived products.

Wheat-based products are staples in diets worldwide. Organic food frauds continuously threaten consumer trust in the agri-food system. A multi-method approach was conducted for the organic authentication and safety assessment of pasta and bakery products along their production chain. Bulk and Compound-Specific (CS) Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) suggested the δ15Nbulk, δ15Nleucine and δ15Nproline as promising organic markers, with CS able to distinguish between pairs which bulk analysis could not. Processing significantly affected the values of δ15Nleucine, δ13Cproline and δ13Cleucine. Multi-mycotoxin analysis (HT-2, T-2, DON, ZEN, OTA, AFB1) revealed higher contamination in conventional than organic samples, while both milling and baking significantly reduced mycotoxin content. Lastly, from the evaluation of 400 residues, isopyrazam was present at the highest concentration (0.12 mg/kg) in conventional wheat, exhibiting a 0.12 Processing Factor (PF), while tebuconazole levels remained unchanged in pasta production (90 °C) and reduced below LOQ in biscuits and crackers (180-250 °C).

Integration and holistic analysis of multiple multidimensional soil data sets.

Complex matrices such as soil have a range of measurable characteristics, and thus data to describe them can be considered multidimensional. These characteristics can be strongly influenced by factors that introduce confounding effects that hinder analyses. Traditional statistical approaches lack the flexibility and granularity required to adequately evaluate such matrices, particularly those with large dataset of varying data types (i.e. quantitative non-compositional, quantitative compositional). We present a statistical workflow designed to effectively analyse complex, multidimensional systems, even in the presence of confounding variables. The developed methodology involves exploratory analysis to identify the presence of confounding variables, followed by data decomposition (including strategies for both compositional and non-compositional quantitative data) to minimise the influence of these confounding factors such as sampling site/location. These data processing methods then allow for common patterns to be highlighted in the data, including the identification of biomarkers and determination of non-trivial associations between variables. We demonstrate the utility of this statistical workflow by jointly analysing the chemical composition and fungal biodiversity of New Zealand vineyard soils that have been managed with either organic low-input or conventional input approaches. By applying this pipeline, we were able to identify biomarkers that distinguish viticultural soil from both approaches and also unearth links and associations between the chemical and metagenomic profiles. While soil is an example of a system that can require this type of statistical methodology, there are a range of biological and ecological systems that are challenging to analyse due to the complex interplay of global and local effects. Utilising our developed pipeline will greatly enhance the way that these systems can be studied and the quality and impact of insight gained from their analysis.

Health-Promoting Potential of Mandarin Pomace Extracts Enriched with Phenolic Compounds.

The aim of this work was to assess the effect of in vitro human digestion on the chemical composition (carbohydrates and phenolic compounds) and bioactivity of hydro-alcoholic-acid pomace extracts from two mandarin varieties (Clemenule and Ortanique) by measuring their antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-glycative, hypolipidemic, and anti-inflammatory properties. The phenolic compound profile showed that nobiletin was the main flavonoid found in the extracts and digests of Clemenule pomace and extract, while isosinensetin/sinensetin/tangeretin were the ones in the Ortanique samples. The digests of Clemenule and Ortanique extracts showed Folin reaction values of 9.74 and 9.20 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g of sample, ABTS values of 83.2 and 91.7 µmol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g of sample, and ORAC-FL values of 142.8 and 891.6 µmol TE/g of sample, respectively. Extracts (50-500 µg/mL) inhibited intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in CCD-18Co cells under physiological and oxidative-induced conditions. Clemenule and Ortanique extract digests showed IC50 values of 13.50 and 11.07 mg/mL for α-glucosidase, 28.79 and 69.64 mg/mL for α-amylase, and 16.50 and 12.77 mg/mL for AGEs, and 2.259 ± 0.267 and 0.713 ± 0.065 mg/mL for pancreatic lipase inhibition, respectively. Ortanique extract (250-1000 µg/mL) inhibited the production of nitric oxide in RAW264.7 macrophages under inflammation-induced conditions, and intracellular ROS formation. In conclusion, altogether, the results supported the potential of mandarin extracts to be used as health promoters by reducing the risk of non-communicable chronic diseases.

From grape to wine: A thorough compound specific isotopic, enantiomeric and quali-quantitative investigation by means of gas chromatographic analysis.

In this study, multiple analytical approaches, including simultaneous enantiomeric and isotopic analysis, were employed to thoroughly investigate the volatile fraction in Moscato giallo grape berries and wines. For the qualitative and quantitative profiling, a fast GC-QqQ/MS approach was successfully utilized. However, prior to isotopic analysis, the extracts underwent an additional concentration step, necessitating an assessment of isotopic fractionation during the concentration process. Once the absence of carbon isotopic fractionation was confirmed, this research aimed to develop a suitable gas chromatographic method for the simultaneous detection of both enantiomeric and isotopic ratios of target monoterpenoids in Moscato giallo samples. To address the limitations associated with a one-dimensional approach, multidimensional gas chromatography was employed to enhance separation before IRMS and qMS detections. Utilizing a Deans switch transfer device, the coupling of an apolar column in the first dimension and a chiral cyclodextrin-based stationary phase in the second dimension proved effective for this purpose. The data obtained from the analysis of Moscato giallo samples allowed for the assessment of natural isotopic and enantiomeric distributions in grapes and wines for the first time in the literature. Significant enantiomeric excesses were observed for the target terpenoids investigated. Regarding isotopic distribution, a consistent trend was observed for all detected target terpenols, including the linalool enantiomers. To date, this study represents the first investigation of simultaneous δ13C and chiral investigation of the main terpenoids in oenological products in the literature.