Impact of cherry, acacia and oak chips on red wine phenolic parameters and sensory profile

摘要

Aim: The evolution of global phenolic parameters and the sensory profile of a Portuguese red wine aged for 90 days in contact with wood chips from different species were evaluated.Methods and results: For this purpose, wood chips from cherry (Prunus avium), acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) and two oak species (Quercus petraea and Quercus pyrenaica) were added to a Portuguese red wine. Various global phenolic parameters of red wines were studied during the aging process (90 storage days). In addition, a sensory analysis was made after the 90-day aging period to determine the impact of the use of different wood chip species on red wine sensory profile. The results showed that during the aging period, only a few differences were detected between the wines. However, after 90 aging days, in general the wines aged in contact with cherry wood tended to have the lowest values for several phenolic parameters. For sensory parameters, the wine aged in contact with French oak chips showed significantly higher scores for several aroma descriptors, while for visual and taste descriptors no statistical significant differences were found between the wines.Conclusion: At the concentration used (3 g wood chips/L wine), the different wood chip species studied had no clear influence on the evolution of the majority of the red wine phenolic parameters. However, from a sensory point of view, the use of different wood species induced greater differentiation, especially for aroma descriptors.Significance and impact of the study: The outcomes of this study would be of practical interest to winemakers and regulatory institutions since they could improve the knowledge of the impact of alternative wood chip species, namely acacia and cherry, on red wine quality. Introduction The use of wood during the process of wine fermentation and/or aging is an ancient and common practice in most of the world’s wine producing regions. The main objectives of this practice are to enrich the wine with substances released by the wood, promote reactions due to contact with air diffused through the wood pores and develop certain interactive chemical reactions that take place slowly in wines and consequently improve wine’s quality and organoleptic characteristics (Cerdán and Ancín-Azpilicueta, 2006; Izquierdo-Ca?as et al., 2016 ).Traditionally, there are three species of wood used in barrel making: Q. petraea Liebl. and Q. robur L., the most common oak species in French forests, and the American oak Q. alba L. (Jord?o et al., 2005; Jord?o et al., 2007; Cadahía et al., 2009; Ala?ón et al., 2011). Thus, the scientific literature contains a large number of data related to oak wood composition, namely volatile (Jord?o et al., 2005; Jord?o et al., 2006a; Chira and Teissedre, 2013) and phenolic profiles (Jord?o et al., 2007; Jord?o et al., 2012; Chira and Teissedre, 2013; 2015; Izquierdo-Ca?as et al., 2016), and its impact on wine chemical and sensory characteristics (De Coninck et al., 2006; Gon?alves and Jord?o, 2009; Oberholster et al., 2015). However, it is important to note that the increasing demand for oak wood has caused a remarkable increase in production costs (due to the limited availability of materials) and environmental costs (due to intensive harvesting of oak trees in forest).Thus, in recent years, heartwood from alternative species have been considered as possible sources of wood for the production of wine, such as acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) and cherry (Prunus avium) (De Rosso et al., 2009a; Chinnici et al., 2011; Gortzi et al., 2013). Acacia wood is generally characterized by a low content of extractable tannins and polyphenols (Citron, 2005; De Rosso et al., 2009a). Its main extractive compounds are flavonoids (Sanz et al., 2012a), and according to De Rosso et al. (2009a), it has a low content of non flavanoid compounds but a high content of aromatic aldehydes, particularly vanillin, syringaldehyde and dihydroxybenzaldehyde. On the other hand, cherry wood is characterized by high concentrations of flavonoid compounds, such as (+)-catechin, naringenin, isosakuranetin, aromadendrin, (+)-taxifolin, p-anisaldehyde and benzyl salicylate (Sanz et al., 2010; 2012b; Fernández de Simón et al., 2014). When compared to oak, this wood also has high levels of some volatile compounds such as methyl syringate and benzoic acid, and low levels of phenyl aldehydes and phenyl ketones, except vanillin and syringaldehyde (Sanz et al., 2010; 2012b). Seasoned cherry wood is also characterized by high levels of condensed tannins and very low levels of hydrolysable tannins (De Rosso et al., 2009a).Some works reported the use of acacia and cherry barrels in wine aging (Kozlovic et al., 2010; Chinnici et al., 2011; Sanz et al., 2012b; Fernández de Simón et al., 2014; Chinnici et al., 2015). However, despite the above-mentioned works demonstrating the value of cherry and acacia woods in cooperage, little information is available about the potential impact of the use o