Juana Martínez

Volatile compounds and sensorial characterisation of red wine aged in cherry, chestnut, false acacia, ash and oak wood barrels

The wood-related volatile profile of wines aged in cherry, acacia, ash, chestnut and oak wood barrels was studied by GC-MS, and could be a useful tool to identify the wood specie used. Thus, 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde in wines aged in acacia barrels, and ethyl-2-benzoate in cherry barrels could be used as chemical markers of these wood species, for authenticity purposes. Also, the quantitative differences obtained in the volatile profiles allow a good classification of all wines regarding wood species of barrels, during all aging time, and they contributed with different intensities to aromatic and gustative characteristics of aged wines. Wines aged in oak were the best valuated during all aging time, but the differences were not always significant. The lowest scores were assigned to wines aged in cherry barrels from 6 months of aging, so this wood could be more suitable in short aging times.

Polyphenols in red wine aged in acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) and oak (Quercus petraea) wood barrels

Polyphenolic composition of two Syrah wines aged during 6 or 12 months in medium toasting acacia and oak 225L barrels was studied by LC-DAD-ESI/MS. A total of 43 nonanthocyanic phenolic compounds were found in all wines, and other 15 compounds only in the wines from acacia barrels. Thus, the nonanthocyanic phenolic profile could be a useful tool to identify the wines aged in acacia barrels. Among all of them the dihydrorobinetin highlights because of its high levels, but also robinetin, 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, a tetrahydroxydihydroflavonol, fustin, butin, a trihydroxymethoxydihydroflavonol and 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid were detected at appreciable levels in wines during aging in acacia barrels, and could be used as phenolic markers for authenticity purposes. Although longer contact time with acacia wood mean higher concentrations of phenolic markers found in wines, the identification of these wines will also be easy after short aging times due the high levels reached by these compounds, even after only 2 months of aging.

Polyphenolic compounds as chemical markers of wine ageing in contact with cherry, chestnut, false acacia, ash and oak wood.

The nonanthocyanic phenolic composition of four red wines, one white, and one rosé aged using barrels and chips of cherry, chestnut, false acacia, ash and oak wood was studied by LC-DAD-ESI/MS, to identify the phenolic compounds that woods other than oak contribute to wines, and if some of them can be used as chemical markers of ageing with them. A total of 68 nonanthocyanic phenolic compounds were identified, 15 found only in wines aged with acacia wood, 6 with cherry wood, and 1 with chestnut wood. Thus, the nonanthocyanic phenolic profile could be a useful tool to identify wines aged in contact with these woods. In addition, some differences in the nonanthocyanic phenolic composition of wines were detected related to both the levels of compounds provided by each wood species and the different evolution of flavonols and flavanols in wines during ageing in barrels or in contact with chips.

Effect of the Seasoning Method on the Chemical Composition of Oak Heartwood to Cooperage

The effect of various oak wood seasoning methods, natural seasoning in open air, artificial seasoning in a kiln, and a mixed method that combines open air and kiln drying, on the chemical composition in American ( Quercus alba) and French ( Quercus petraea) oak was studied. The results confirm the evolution of ellagitannins in wood, low molecular polyphenols, and volatile compounds in relation to oak species and seasoning method. Natural seasoning in open air can be considered a superior method to mixed or artificial drying for wood seasoning in cooperage. It was more effective in reducing the excess of ellagitannins, especially in French oak wood. Moreover, the evolution of wood volatile compounds was more positive in the natural seasoning than mixed or artificial drying, since it led to woods with higher aromatic potential (larger concentrations of compounds such as volatile phenols, phenolic aldehydes, furanic compounds, and cis- and trans-beta-methyl-gamma-octalactones) than mixed or artificial methods. However, the three seasoning methods showed similar effectiveness regarding the desired reduction of off-flavors compounds.

Catastrophic Unbalanced Genome Rearrangements Cause Somatic Loss of Berry Color in Grapevine

Chromothripsis-like genome rearrangements cause somatic loss of fruit pigmentation and alter sexual reproductive development in grapevine. Grape (Vitis vinifera) color somatic variants that can be used to develop new grapevine cultivars occasionally appear associated with deletion events of uncertain origin. To understand the mutational mechanisms generating somatic structural variation in grapevine, we compared the Tempranillo Blanco (TB) white berry somatic variant with its black berry ancestor, Tempranillo Tinto. Whole-genome sequencing uncovered a catastrophic genome rearrangement in TB that caused the hemizygous deletion of 313 genes, including the loss of the functional copy for the MYB transcription factors required for anthocyanin pigmentation in the berry skin. Loss of heterozygosity and decreased copy number delimited interspersed monosomic and disomic regions in the right arm of linkage groups 2 and 5. At least 11 validated clustered breakpoints involving intrachromosomal and interchromosomal translocations between three linkage groups flanked the deleted fragments, which, according to segregation analyses, are phased in a single copy of each of the affected chromosomes. These hallmarks, along with the lack of homology between breakpoint joins and the randomness of the order and orientation of the rearranged fragments, are all consistent with a chromothripsis-like pattern generated after chromosome breakage and illegitimate rejoining. This unbalanced genome reshuffling has additional consequences in reproductive development. In TB, lack of sexual transmission of rearranged chromosomes associates with low gamete viability, which compromises fruit set and decreases fruit production. Our findings show that catastrophic genome rearrangements arise spontaneously and stabilize during plant somatic growth. These dramatic rearrangements generate new interesting phenotypes that can be selected for the improvement of vegetatively propagated plant species.