Compounds Added To Wine May Curb Spoilage

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.Certain compounds, when added to wine, may curb the chemical reaction that causes wine to look, smell and taste bad, according to a new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University and University of California added chelation compounds to wine to study their effects on nonenzymatic wine oxidation. Oxidation can occur when oxygen enters wine through the cork and interacts with metals present in the wine, particularly iron, setting off a chain reaction that changes compounds that add particular and often disagreeable tastes and smells to the drink.

"Oxidation has several bad effects on wine, such as discoloration and a loss of aroma," said Gal Kreitman, doctoral candidate, food science, Penn State. "It can cause browning, as well as the loss of fruity characteristics, something that is much more noticeable in white wines."

Two types of oxidations states are present in wineiron 2 and iron 3; therefore researchers used iron 2 and iron 3 chelators, including bipyridine, Ferrozine, ethylenediaminetertraacetic acid (EDTA) and phytic acid.

Both types of chelators significantly inhibited the oxidation in the wine, Kreitman said. "The ligands of bipyridine, Ferrozine, EDTA and phytic acid bind to the metals, which can inhibit their reaction," he said.

Kreitman said that further research would be needed to find chelators that are food-safe. While there are chelators that are safe for consumption, many have yet to be approved for food-making and winemaking processes. Phytic acid, however, may be effective in neutralizing oxidation and safe for consumption, according to Kreitman.