Study of phenolic extractability in grape seeds by means of ATR-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy

Near infrared hyperspectral imaging has been applied to grape seeds in order to select a representative subset of samples according to their spectral features in the 900-1700nm range. Afterwards, selected grape seeds have been classified according to their total phenol and flavanol extractabilities. In this way, samples were sorted in three different groups identified as low, medium and high extractability levels. In order to establish the chemical structures which can be responsible for the different extractabilities, vibrational spectroscopy has been applied to the non-extracted material after seed extractions. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and Raman spectra of non-extracted seed material have been recorded and their main spectral features have been linked to extractabilities of flavanolic and total phenolic compounds. The vibrational spectroscopic analysis confirms that grape seed phenolic extractability is influenced by the cell wall composition (polysaccharides, lignins, pectins) and by the degree of esterification of pectins.