Red Wine Oxidation Characterization by Accelerated Ageing Tests and Cyclic Voltammetry.

Area of Science:

• Enology
• Food Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Understanding red wine oxidative behavior is crucial for quality control.
• Accelerated ageing tests help predict long-term wine stability.
• Electrochemical methods offer potential for assessing wine oxidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the oxidative behavior of red wines under different accelerated ageing conditions.
• To evaluate the correlation between electrochemical measurements and wine oxidation.
• To determine if cyclic voltammetry can predict wine sensitivity to oxidation.

Main Methods:

• Measured oxygen consumption rates and cyclic voltammetry for nine red wines.
• Applied three accelerated ageing tests: chemical (H2O2), enzymatic (laccase), and thermal (60 °C).
• Correlated electrochemical parameters with oxidative changes.

Main Results:

• Oxidative behavior varied significantly based on wine type and ageing method.
• Good correlation found between initial electrochemical parameters and changes after enzymatic/thermal ageing.
• Cyclic voltammetry successfully predicted wine sensitivity to enzymatic and thermal oxidation.
• Electrochemical measurements could not predict chemical oxidation induced by hydrogen peroxide.

Conclusions:

• Cyclic voltammetry is a promising tool for predicting red wine oxidation under specific accelerated ageing conditions.
• The method reflects wine's inherent antioxidant capacity and susceptibility to certain oxidative pathways.
• Limitations exist in predicting chemical oxidation using hydrogen peroxide via electrochemical analysis.