Jean-Claude Boulet

Models based on ultraviolet spectroscopy, polyphenols, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides for prediction of wine astringency

Astringency elicited by tannins is usually assessed by tasting. Alternative methods involving tannin precipitation have been proposed, but they remain time-consuming. Our goal was to propose a faster method and investigate the links between wine composition and astringency. Red wines covering a wide range of astringency intensities, assessed by sensory analysis, were selected. Prediction models based on multiple linear regression (MLR) were built using UV spectrophotometry (190-400 nm) and chemical analysis (enological analysis, polyphenols, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides). Astringency intensity was strongly correlated (R(2) = 0.825) with tannin precipitation by bovine serum albumin (BSA). Wine absorbances at 230 nm (A230) proved more suitable for astringency prediction (R(2) = 0.705) than A280 (R(2) = 0.56) or tannin concentration estimated by phloroglucinolysis (R(2) = 0.59). Three variable models built with A230, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides presented high R(2) and low errors of cross-validation. These models confirmed that polysaccharides decrease astringency perception and indicated a positive relationship between oligosaccharides and astringency.

Improvement of Direct Calibration in spectroscopy

Several linear calibration methods have been proposed for predicting the concentration of a particular compound from a spectrum. Some methods are based on experimental data, such as Partial Least Square Regression. Other methods are based on expert data, e.g. Direct Calibration. This article proposes a new method, called Improved Direct Calibration, which uses expert and experimental information. It performs a projection onto the pure interest spectrum, after correcting it from influence factors. No calibration dataset is necessary to build this model. This method has been successfully applied to the quantification of ethanol in musts during fermentation, using near infrared spectrometry.

Fast characterization of solid organic waste content with near infrared spectroscopy in anaerobic digestion

The development of anaerobic digestion involves both co-digestion of solid wastes and optimization of the feeding recipe. Within this context, substrate characterisation is an essential issue. Although it is widely used, the biochemical methane potential is not sufficient to optimize the operation of anaerobic digestion plants. Indeed the biochemical composition in carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and the chemical oxygen demand of the inputs are key parameters for the optimisation of process performances. Here we used near infrared spectroscopy as a robust and less-time consuming tool to predict the solid waste content in carbohydrates, lipids and nitrogen, and the chemical oxygen demand. We built a Partial Least Square regression model with 295 samples and validated it with an independent set of 46 samples across a wide range of solid wastes found in anaerobic digestion units. The standard errors of cross-validation were 90mgO2⋅gTS-1 carbohydrates, 2.5∗10-2g⋅gTS-1 lipids, 7.2∗10-3g⋅gTS-1 nitrogen and 99mgO2⋅gTS-1 chemical oxygen demand. The standard errors of prediction were 53mgO2⋅gTS-1 carbohydrates, 3.2∗10-2g⋅gTS-1 lipids, 8.6∗10-3g⋅gTS-1 nitrogen and 83mgO2⋅gTS-1 chemical oxygen demand. These results show that near infrared spectroscopy is a new fast and cost-efficient way to characterize solid wastes content and improve their anaerobic digestion monitoring.

Influence of Grape Berry Maturity on Juice and Base Wine Composition and Foaming Properties of Sparkling Wines from the Champagne Region

In sparkling wine cool-climate regions like Champagne, it is sometimes necessary to pick the healthy grape clusters that have a relatively low maturity level to avoid the deleterious effects of Botrytis cinerea. In such conditions, we know that classical oenological parameters (sugars, pH, total acidity) may change but there is little information concerning the impact of grape berry maturity on wine proteins and foaming properties. Therefore, healthy grapes (Chardonnay and Pinot meunier) in 2015 and 2016 were picked at different maturity levels within the range of common industrial maturity for potential alcohol content 8–11% v/v in the Champagne region. Base wine protein content and foamability, and oenological parameters in grape juice and their corresponding base wines, were investigated. The results showed that base wine protein contents (analyzed by the Bradford method and by electrophoresis) and foamability were higher when the grapes were riper. The Pearson’s correlation test found significant positive correlations (r = 0.890–0.997, p < 0.05) between Chardonnay grape berry maturity degree (MD) and base wine foamability in both vintages. Strong correlations between MD and most of the oenological parameters in grape juice and base wine were also found for the two cultivars. Under the premise of guaranteed grape health, delaying harvest date is an oenological decision capable of improving base wine protein content and foamability.