Simone Giacosa

Candida zemplinina can reduce acetic acid produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae in sweet wine fermentations

ABSTRACT In this study we investigated the possibility of using Candida zemplinina, as a partner of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in mixed fermentations of must with a high sugar content, in order to reduce its acetic acid production. Thirty-five C. zemplinina strains, which were isolated from different geographic regions, were molecularly characterized, and their fermentation performances were determined. Five genetically different strains were selected for mixed fermentations with S. cerevisiae. Two types of inoculation were carried out: coinoculation and sequential inoculation. A balance between the two species was generally observed for the first 6 days, after which the levels of C. zemplinina started to decrease. Relevant differences were observed concerning the consumption of sugars, the ethanol and glycerol content, and acetic acid production, depending on which strain was used and which type of inoculation was performed. Sequential inoculation led to the reduction of about half of the acetic acid content compared to the pure S. cerevisiae fermentation, but the ethanol and glycerol amounts were also low. A coinoculation with selected combinations of S. cerevisiae and C. zemplinina resulted in a decrease of ∼0.3 g of acetic acid/liter, while maintaining high ethanol and glycerol levels. This study demonstrates that mixed S. cerevisiae and C. zemplinina fermentation could be applied in sweet wine fermentation to reduce the production of acetic acid, connected to the S. cerevisiae osmotic stress response.

Influence of grape density and harvest date on changes in phenolic composition, phenol extractability indices, and instrumental texture properties during ripening.

Changes in the phenolic composition, phenol extractability indices, and mechanical properties occur in grape berries during the ripening process, but the heterogeneity of the grapes harvested at different ripening stages affects the reliability of the results obtained. In this work, these changes were studied in Nebbiolo grapes harvested during five consecutive weeks and then separated according to three density classes. The changes observed in chemical and mechanical parameters through the ripening process are more related to berry density than harvest date. Therefore, the winemaker has to select the flotation density according to the objective quality properties of the wine to be elaborated. On the other hand, the stiffer grapes were associated with a higher accumulation of proanthocyanidins. The harder grapes provided the higher concentration and extractability of flavanols reactive to vanillin, whereas the thicker ones facilitated the extraction of proanthocyanidins.

Nutritional and technological quality of bread enriched with an intermediated pearled wheat fraction

A strategy to maximise the health benefits of wheat-based products enriched with refined flour and selected fractions of kernel, obtained by sequential pearling, has been tested. Five mixtures of refined commercial flour with an increasing replacement of a pearled wheat fraction were used to prepare bread and were compared with a control for the dough rheological properties (Mixolab® parameters), the bioactive compound content, deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination and the physical properties (volume, crust colour, instrumental crunchiness and crumb texture profile analysis parameters). The antioxidant and dietary fibre contents increased linearly as the flour was enriched with the pearled fraction. The dietary fibre, β-glucan, total phenolic, alkylresorcinol content and the antioxidant activity increased significantly at a replacement level of 10%, while the technological properties were not significantly different from those of the control. It has been shown that refined flour could be enriched through the addition of a selected wheat pearled fraction and the bioactive compound content of composite bread could be improved, while few rheological and technological differences could be obtained and the risk for DON contamination could be limited.

Comparative Study of Texture Properties, Color Characteristics and Chemical Composition of Ten White Table Grape Varieties

The texture, color, and chemical characteristics of 10 white table-grape varieties were compared: Delizia del Vaprio, Matilde, Moscato di Terracina, Pansé precoce, Pizzutello bianco, Regina, Regina dei vigneti, Sublima seedless, Sultanina (or Thompson Seedless), and Vincere. Consumer acceptability of table grapes depends on such factors as visual attributes, chemical constituents, nutritive values, mechanical properties, and, obviously, sensory attributes, which are affected by the cultivar. Notable differences among the studied varieties were found in CIRG (color index of red grapes), solid soluble content, malic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, and the amount of total polyphenols. However, the mechanical parameters of berries, as determined by texture profile analysis, and berry skin characteristics, evaluated by puncture testing, were the most important properties for the differentiation of varieties. In particular, PCA analysis indicated that hardness, gumminess, chewiness, break skin force, break skin energy, and Young’s modulus of elasticity of skin were the best indices with which to characterize the varieties. These results may help viticulture and postharvest professionals recognize the behavior of each variety and thus better respond to the consumer market.

Assessment of Physicochemical Differences in Nebbiolo Grape Berries from Different Production Areas and Sorted by Flotation

In vineyards, in-field grape variability attributable to environmental factors can induce differences in the ripening process and, therefore, in the physicochemical characteristics of grape berries. This variability is often higher among different growing locations. Automatic, densimetric berry-sorting machines have recently been developed and proposed for use in wineries to reduce this variability, thereby making grapes uniform in terms of density. Densimetric sorting requires the selection of a density value according to objective quality parameters of the berries. The aim of this work was to determine the relationships among different objective quality parameters of Nebbiolo grapes harvested on the same date, such as mechanical properties, phenolic composition, and extractability indices; to determine the berry density estimated by flotation in different salt solutions of densities ranging from 1069 to 1125 kg m−3; and to investigate the influence of the growing location on these relationships. The results revealed that the most promising physicochemical parameters for determining the appropriate density are the total anthocyanin and flavonoid concentrations in the skins, the total flavonoid and oligomer proanthocyanidin contents in the seeds, and skin hardness and thickness. Nevertheless, density selection must be performed for each individual vineyard or homogeneous group of vineyards belonging to the same production zone because the correlation of berry density with these parameters also depends on the vineyard effect. Densimetric sorting of berries can be used to separate grapes with different quality parameters.

CIEL *a *b * parameters of white dehydrated grapes as quality markers according to chemical composition, volatile profile and mechanical properties

In the oenological sector, the withering process is of particular importance in the production of dry and sweet dessert wines due to the total or partial use of overripe and/or dehydrated grapes. This complex process leads to several changes in the chemical-physical characteristics of white grape berries affecting the wine quality and, at the end of the dehydration period, different visual attributes are usually present in the berry skins. The aim of this work, therefore, was to study the properties of Erbaluce dried grapes of varying external colors, classified into three groups based on reflectance colorimetry (green, gold and blue). The chemical composition, volatile profile and mechanical attributes were investigated, focusing on establishing relationships between CIEL*a*b* parameters of dehydrated grapes and their chemical-physical characteristics. The higher values of the glucose-fructose ratio, together with the higher content of sugars, gluconic acid and glycerol, but lower titratable acidity, suggests the presence of Botrytis cinerea Pers. infection in blue withered berries, which has been microbiologically confirmed. Regarding the instrumental mechanical properties, blue dehydrated grapes were characterized by a lower skin hardness and higher skin thickness in agreement with the higher weight loss experienced. Finally, the determination of free and bound volatile compounds showed that some of them were only found in blue withered berries, δ-lactones being considered the main chemical markers of the noble rot infection that are important for the odor character. C-10 alkyl massoia lactone was the most abundant volatile compound in blue botrytized grapes.

Instrumental texture analysis parameters as winegrapes varietal markers and ripeness predictors.

The texture parameters of three red grape varieties (Mencia, Brancellao, and Merenzao) cultivated in Galician vineyards (North-West Spain) were determined. Different ripening stages (A: 176 ± 8 g/l reducing sugars; B: 193 ± 8 g/l reducing sugars; C: 210 ± 8 g/l reducing sugars; D: 227 ± 8 g/l reducing sugars) were also considered. Principal component analysis was performed for a better understanding of the differences found among grapes according to variety and ripening stage based on the skin and berry texture parameters. The parameters differentiating varieties were the skin break force and energy measured on the lateral side, whereas ripening stages can be classified on the basis of berry cohesiveness. The hardest berry skin was associated with the Merenzao variety with skin break force values comprised between 0.752–0.811 N and skin break energy between 0.715–0.790 mJ for A and B ripening stages, respectively. Instead, Brancellao variety presented the softest skin with skin break force values ranging ...

Comparative study of the resveratrol content of twenty-one italian red grape varieties

The content of resveratrol and some related stilbenes (piceids and piceatannol) in 21 Italian red grape varieties growing in the same edapho-climatic conditions and at the same stage of ripening was measured. Some varieties, like Barbera, Schiava gentile, Corvina and Marzemino, showed a trans-resveratrol content in the skin two to three times higher than the average content of all varieties. Trans- and cis-piceids were found in concentration higher than that of resveratrol, confirming both to be important contributors to the pool of health-promoting molecules present in grapes. Considering the total amount of stilbenes, the highest content was found in Barbera, Franconia, Negroamaro, Corvina and Marzemino, whereas other varieties, such as Montepulciano, Dolcetto, Croatina, Refosco and Primitivo, seem to synthesise very low amounts of these compounds. Barbera grapes also contain a relatively high concentration of transpiceatannol, a stilbene with even higher antioxidant properties than resveratrol, which means that it could be an interesting variety as a source of health-promoting molecules.

Investigation of the dominance behavior of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains during wine fermentation

During wine fermentation, different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae compete in the same fermenting must and dominance takes place when one strain overcomes all the others. The purpose of this study was to investigate this phenomenon by identifying S. cerevisiae strains endowed with this feature and to test them in laboratory fermentations. First, autochthonous S. cerevisiae from Nebbiolo fermentations were isolated, molecularly identified and characterized. Genetically diverse S. cerevisiae strains were subsequently subjected to physiological characterization and to micro-scale fermentation, the weight loss kinetics was measured and HPLC analysis was performed at the end of the fermentation. Then, the strains that presented good fermentation characteristics were chosen for further analysis and to determine the dominance feature. For this purpose, couples of strains were co-inoculated in Nebbiolo must and the fermentations were monitored by microbiological and chemical analysis. Two different inoculation approaches were used: co-fermentations in flasks with mixed cells and reactor co-fermentations, in which the cells from the two different strains were kept separate by means of a 0.45 μm filter membrane, which allowed the fermenting must to move freely between the two compartments. During the flask co-fermentations, a minisatellite PCR protocol was applied, in order to differentiate the two strains and determine which one was able to dominate. The protocol included a culture-dependent approach and an independent one. In the first case, DNA extraction was performed on all the colonies scraped off the plates after sampling. In the second case, DNA extraction was performed directly on the fermenting must. The strains that were able to dominate were tested against several S. cerevisiae in order to confirm this dominance behavior. Dominance was observed in the early stages of fermentation, as early as 3days. Combinations of dominant and not-dominant strains were subjected to further tests in a co-fermentation reactor system, in order to perform single-strain analysis so as to obtain a better understanding of the dominance behavior. Surprisingly, the results obtained in the flask co-fermentations were not confirmed. In fact, the two strains, one which was hypothesized to be dominant and the other not-dominant, coexisted throughout the fermentation period. The results of this study suggest that the dominant behavior of S. cerevisiae is only expressed when they sense other yeasts in the same environment.

Varietal Comparison of The Chemical, Physical, and Mechanical Properties of Five Colored Table Grapes

The visual attributes of table grapes, their chemical constituents, and mechanical properties are involved in consumer acceptability because they are correlated to sensory perception. Usually, instrumental measurements are preferred to the sensory evaluations because they reduce variations in subjective judgments and can be carried out more easily. In this work, chemical-physical attributes and texture properties of five black table grapes (Alphonse Lavallée, Black magic, Cardinal, Perlon, Regina nera) were studied in order to identify significant varietal differences. Spectrophotometric and HPLC methods and texture analysis test were used to evaluate color index, sugars and acid composition, phenolic characteristics, and mechanical properties of the skin and the pulp of berries. Many differences were found among varieties in technological maturity indexes, hydroxycinnamic acid, anthocyanin content and profile, and relative CIE L*, a*, b* parameters, but the more relevant differences were found in mechanical properties. Principal component analysis showed that the texture profile analysis parameters (hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and resilience) and berry skin characteristics (break skin energy, skin modulus of elasticy) were the best indices able to fulfill the aim of this work. Almost all of the parameters showed differences among cultivars, confirming their importance in the characterization of the variety as well as in the assessment of potential consumer acceptability. In particular, the cultivars demonstrated different reactions to the compression test; thus, the texture analysis parameters can be appropriate to explain varietal differences and to allow their differentiation.