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Published on: November 23, 2015
A saliva molecular imprinted localized surface plasmon resonance biosensor for wine astringency estimation
J Rafaela L Guerreiro1, Natércia Teixeira2, Victor De Freitas2
1Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; BioMark Sensor Research-CINTESIS, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Porto, Portugal; QUINOA-LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
This study introduces a novel sensor combining localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and molecular imprinted polymers (MIP) to objectively measure wine astringency, mimicking the mouth's interaction with wine.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Food Science
- Biomaterials
Background:
- Wine astringency is a complex sensory perception influenced by interactions between wine components and salivary proteins.
- Traditional sensory analysis of astringency relies on trained panels, which can be subjective and time-consuming.
- Developing objective methods to quantify wine astringency is crucial for quality control and product development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel sensor system for quantifying wine astringency.
- To mimic the in-mouth interaction between red wine and saliva using localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and molecular imprinted polymers (MIP).
- To establish a correlation between sensor measurements and traditional sensory analysis of astringency.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing gold nanodisks functionalized with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) integrated with localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectroscopy.
- Simulating the interaction of red wine with saliva components on the LSPR/MIP sensor surface.
- Calibrating the sensor response against known concentrations of pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) and validating with real wine samples.
Main Results:
- The LSPR/MIP sensor demonstrated a linear response to astringency, quantifiable in pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) units across a concentration range of 1 to 140 μmol/L.
- Sensor measurements of wine astringency showed a strong correlation with results from a trained sensory panel.
- Analysis revealed a potential role for anthocyanins in wine astringency, beyond their known function in pigmentation.
Conclusions:
- The developed LSPR/MIP sensor offers a reliable and objective alternative to subjective sensory analysis for quantifying wine astringency.
- This sensor technology effectively mimics the biological system of wine-saliva interaction, providing valuable insights into astringency mechanisms.
- The findings suggest that anthocyanins contribute significantly to the astringency profile of red wines.

