W. J. Du Toit

The effect of sulphur dioxide and oxygen on the viability and culturability of a strain of Acetobacter pasteurianus and a strain of Brettanomyces bruxellensis isolated from wine

Aims:  The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of free molecular and bound forms of sulphur dioxide and oxygen on the viability and culturability of a selected strain of Acetobacter pasteurianus and a selected strain of Brettanomyces bruxellensis in wine.

Oxygen in Must and Wine: A review

Oxygen can play an important role during the winemaking process. It can influence the composition and quality of the must and wine. Phenolic compounds are the main substrates for oxidation in must and wine. Oxygen addition leads to colour changes and the polymerisation of phenolic molecules in wine. Oxygen can, however, also influence the flavour and microbial composition of wine drastically, with certain off-flavours being formed and spoilage micro-organisms able to grow at too high oxygen additions to wine. A state-of-the-art, up-to-date review on the effects of oxygen in must and wine has, however, not been published recently. This review focuses on the effects of oxygen in must, during alcoholic fermentation, extended lees contact and during ageing of white and red wines. The effects it has on acetic acid bacteria and Brettanomyces are also discussed, as well as micro-oxygenation, a relative new technique used in wine production.

The enumeration and identification of acetic acid bacteria from South African red wine fermentations.

Acetic acid bacteria are microorganisms that can profoundly influence the quality of wine. Surprisingly, little research has been done on these microorganisms in the winemaking field. The object of this study was to investigate the occurrence of acetic acid bacteria in South African red wine fermentations and to identify the dominant species occurring. Acetic acid bacteria were isolated and enumerated from small-scale and commercial red must fermentations in 1998 and 1999, respectively. The initial occurrence of acetic acid bacteria in the must was shown to vary with cell numbers ranging from 10(6)-10(7) to 10(4)-10(5) cfu/ml for the 1998 and 1999 musts, respectively. The acetic acid bacteria decreased to 10(2)-10(3) cfu/ml in musts having a low pH (< or = 3.6), whereas in some musts having a high pH (> or = 3.7), the cell numbers increased during fermentation. During the process of cold soaking, the cell numbers of acetic acid bacteria also increased until inoculation with commercial wine yeast. Gluconobacter oxydans dominated in the fresh must and Acetobacter pasteurianus and A. liquefaciens during fermentation. This study showed that A. liquefaciens and A. hansenii were present in significant numbers, which has not been reported before.

Biogenic Amines in Wine: Understanding the Headache

The presence of biogenic amines in wine is becoming increasingly important to consumers and producers alike, due to the potential threats of toxicity to humans and consequent trade implications. In the scientific field, biogenic amines have the potential to be applied as indicators of food spoilage and/or authenticity. Biogenic amines can be formed from their respective amino acid precursors by various microorganisms present in the wine, at any stage of production, ageing or storage. To understand the large number of factors that could influence the formation of biogenic amines, the chemical, biochemical, enzymatic and genetic properties relating to these compounds have to be considered. Analytical and molecular methods to detect biogenic amines in wine, as well as possibilities that could enable better control over their production levels in wine will also be explored in this review.

Investigation of the effect of gelatine, egg albumin and cross-flow microfiltration on the phenolic composition of Pinotage wine.

The effect of fining and cross-flow microfiltration on the phenolic composition of red wine was investigated. Both gelatine (G) and egg albumin (EA) fining decreased the mean degree of polymerisation (mDP) of tannin significantly by 26.4% and 25.2%, respectively, compared to the control (C). Cross-flow microfiltration (CF) also decreased the mDP significantly by 25%. Thus, the fining agents and cross-flow microfiltration selectively removed the highly polymerised phenols. After 3.5 months of bottle ageing, differences between the different treatments and the control decreased. CF had the most significant effect on the flavan-3-ol and polymeric phenol (tannin) content of the wines compared to the control followed by G fining. CF and EA treatments significantly decreased the total pigment content compared to C. CF was also the only treatment that could be distinguished from the other treatments by sensory analysis. All treatments improved clarity of the wines with cross-flow microfiltration having the largest effect.

The production of reduced-alcohol wines using Gluzyme Mono® 10.000 BG-treated grape juice.

High alcohol wines have become a major challenge in the international wine trade. Several physical processes are used to produce wines with reduced-alcohol content, all of which involve the selective extraction of ethanol based on volatility or diffusion. In this study, the possibility of Gluzyme Mono® 10.000 BG (Gluzyme) (Novozymes, South Africa) to reduce the glucose content of synthetic grape juice before fermentation was investigated in order to produce wine with reduced-alcohol content. Gluzyme is a glucose oxidase preparation from Aspergillus oryzae, currently used in the baking industry. Glucose oxidase catalyses the oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the presence of molecular oxygen. Gluzyme was initially used in synthetic grape juice, where different enzyme concentrations and factors influencing its efficiency were investigated under winemaking conditions. The results showed up to 0.5% v/v less alcohol at an enzyme concentration of 20 kU compared to the control samples. This reduction in alcohol was increased to 1 and 1.3% v/v alcohol at pH 3.5 and pH 5.5 respectively in aerated (8 mg/L O2) synthetic grape juice using 30 kU enzyme. Secondly, Gluzyme was used to treat Pinotage grape must before fermentation. Gluzyme-treated wines at 30 kU enzyme concentration after fermentation contained 0.68% v/v less alcohol than the control wines. A decrease in acetic acid concentration of the treated compared to control wines was also observed.

Characterisation of pinotage wine during maturation on different oak products

The effect of oak contact on the phenolic composition, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and colour of Pinotage wines was investigated during maturation. Oak maturation included traditional treatments, such as new, second-fill and third-fill barrels, as well as alternative treatments (oak chips, staves, extract and dust) applied in old barrels over a period of 28 weeks. Oak maturation using traditional and alternative treatments improved the objective colour of Pinotage wine by decreasing the L* value. Losses in TAC caused by decreased concentrations of monomeric phenolic compounds (most anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols and hydroxycinnamic acids) during oak maturation were negated by increased concentrations of gallic acid and the formation of new oligomeric and polymeric pigments. Wine maturation in stainless steel containers also resulted in a decrease in anthocyanin content. The decrease in phenolic acid content for wines matured in stainless steel was less pronounced, while their flavan-3-ol content remained stable. The new-barrel treatment had the most pronounced effect on all parameters. Oak maturation can be used for the production of Pinotage wine when the retention of TAC is a high priority.

Correlations between South African red grape and wine colour and phenolic composition: comparing the Glories, Iland and Bovine Serum Albumin tannin precipitation methods.

Phenolic compounds in red grapes might give an indication of phenolic and colour compositions of the resulting wine. This work compared the Glories, Iland and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) tannin precipitation methods for phenolic characterization of South African Pinotage, Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon red grape samples (n=31). Significant positive correlations were found for certain phenolic characteristics in the grapes measured by these methods. Levels of phenolic compounds in the grapes and correlating wines were in line with literature. Merlot samples often associated more with higher concentrations of seed tannins, which were also reflected in the wines. Significant correlations were also found with the colour characteristics of the resulting wines and some anthocyanin related measurements in the grapes with the Glories and Iland methods, with the latter correlating slightly better. Significant positive correlations were also found between grape and wine tannins as measured with the BSA method. However, malolactic fermentation changed some of these correlations and this needs to be investigated further. This work might give wine producers as well as wine analyses laboratories valuable information regarding the suitability of these methods to characterize the phenolic composition of South African red grapes and their resulting wines.

Oxygen Consumption in South African Sauvignon Blanc Wines: Role of Glutathione, Sulphur Dioxide and Certain Phenolics

The aim of this research was to investigate the interaction between sulphur dioxide, glutathione (GSH) and certain phenols in the presence of oxygen in a synthetic wine and in clarified Sauvignon blanc wine. In this study, the clarified wine, from which most of the phenols had been removed, was compared to synthetic wine solution, with both mediums being enriched with caffeic acid to investigate the effect of different levels of sulphur dioxide and GSH on oxygen consumption. Moreover, thirteen young South African Sauvignon blanc wines with different levels of sulphur dioxide were oxygenated, and the oxygen consumption and phenolic and colour changes were monitored over time. The results show that oxygen consumption was influenced greatly by the presence of sulphur dioxide and, to a lesser extent, by the presence of GSH, with both compounds decreasing during the course of the experiment. During oxidation, an increase was observed in glutathionyl caffeic acid, as well as in oxidised glutathione (GSSG); however, this did not coincide with the percentage decrease in GSH. Oxidation further led to an increase in absorbance measurements at 420 and 440 nm (yellow-orange colour), which were reduced by the presence of SO2. A large variation was also observed in the oxygen consumption of the young wines, with this rate increasing with an increase in SO2 concentration. Positive correlations were also observed between oxygen, SO2, GSH and Cu concentrations, which were again negatively correlated with absorbance at 420 and 440 nm and GSSG concentrations.

Effect of Skin Contact Before and During Alcoholic Fermentation on the Chemical and Sensory Profile of South African Chenin Blanc White Wines

The volatile and phenolic composition of Chenin blanc wines made with different skin contact treatments was studied. One batch of grapes was used to make a dry white wine according to two different treatments, namely pre-fermentative skin contact and complete fermentation on the skins. A white wine fermented without any skin contact was used as control. Fermentation on the skins and skin contact before fermentation led to significantly lower levels of terpenes, esters, acids and thiols, and the highest significant levels of alcohols and phenolic compounds. However, this effect was less pronounced in wines with skin contact before fermentation. Sensory analysis of all the experimental wines was also performed. The results showed a significant shift from the sensory attributes of fresh and tropical fruits of the control Chenin blanc wines towards riper fruit notes in the skin contact treatments. This observation was correlated with the length of the skin contact period. Possible reasons to explain the results observed in this study are discussed.