Use of Alternative Wood for the Ageing of Brandy de Jerez.

The use of alternative types of wood has arisen for the aging of the Brandy de Jerez, on a pilot plant level. In particular, besides the use of American oak, two more types of oak have been studied, French oak and Spanish oak, allowed by the Technical File for the ID Brandy de Jerez, and chestnut, which, though it is not officially allowed, is a type of wood which had been traditionally used in the area for the aging of wines and distillates. All of them have been studied with different toasting levels: Intense toasting and medium toasting.

Evolution of volatile compounds and sensory characteristics of edible green seaweed (Ulva rigida) during storage at different temperatures.

Background: Edible seaweeds are one of the most important resources that currently exist for their multiple uses and applications. Like other food types, during their storage there are significant changes in sensory characteristics associated with loss of freshness and with production and/or degradation of their volatile compounds. In this study, multiple headspace sorptive extraction (MHSSE) coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) detection has been applied to an edible green seaweed (Ulva rigida) in order to determine the evolution of volatile compounds during storage for 12 days at 4 or 16 °C.

Effect of Drying on the Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Red Grape Pomace.

Winemaking by-products are considered to be a rich source of bioactive compounds. Grape pomace is susceptible to microbial degradation due to the degree of residual moisture, so the drying of this pomace for conservation is considered to be an essential first step. Previous studies concerning the way in which drying affects winery by-products have produced contradictory results.

Comparative study of submerged and surface culture acetification process for orange vinegar.

Background: The two main acetification methodologies generally employed in the production of vinegar (surface and submerged cultures) were studied and compared for the production of orange vinegar. Polyphenols (UPLC/DAD) and volatiles compounds (SBSE-GC/MS) were considered as the main variables in the comparative study. Sensory characteristics of the obtained vinegars were also evaluated.

Chemical and sensory characteristics of orange based vinegar.

Several experiments were conducted to developed orange based vinegar by surface culture. The addition of sugar (sucrose and concentrated must) and the presence/absence of peel in the raw material (squeezed juice, peeled orange, non-peeled orange plus squeezed juice) have been studied during the development of the final product. Polyphenolic and volatile characterization and sensory analysis have also been carried out.

Volatile composition of Pedro Ximénez and Muscat sweet Sherry wines from sun and chamber dried grapes: a feasible alternative to the traditional sun-drying.

Sweet Sherry wines from Pedro Ximénez and Muscat sun and chamber-dried grapes during vintages 2009 and 2010 were aged in American oak wood for 12 months. Their volatile content was periodically analyzed using SBSE-GC-MS. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis demonstrated that the volatile compounds considered can be used to detect grape variety and vintage.

Development of a stir bar sorptive extraction method for the determination of volatile compounds in orange juices.

A stir bar sorptive extraction method for the determination of volatile compounds in orange juices was developed. The extraction variables were optimized using a reduced two-level factorial screening design (2(5-1) ), and the most suitable analytical conditions for the extraction of the studied compounds were: sample volume 10 mL, extraction time 60 min, stirring speed 1800 rpm, NaCl amount 30% (weight/volume), and twister length 10 mm. The optimized method was further validated, obtaining good linearity and detection and quantification limits low enough to correctly determine the studied compounds.

Novel vinegar-derived product enriched with dietary fiber: effect on polyphenolic profile, volatile composition and sensory analysis.

Dietary fiber derived from citrus fruits was added to vinegar. Different sources and quantities of fiber and storage conditions have been scrutinized. Formulated vinegars were evaluated on the basis of their phenolic profile, volatile composition and sensory analysis.

Determination of Melatonin in Rice (Oryza sativa) Grains by Pressurized Liquid Extraction.

Melatonin provides a number of benefits for human health. The study reported here concerns the optimization, validation, and application of analytical pressurized liquid extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a fluorescence detector for the determination of melatonin in rice grains. The factors that are most likely to affect the extraction efficiency were optimized with a 2 fractional factorial design.

Simplification of the DPPH assay for estimating the antioxidant activity of wine and wine by-products.

The DPPH assay is one of the most commonly employed methods for measuring antioxidant activity. Even though this method is considered very simple and efficient, it does present various limitations which make it complicated to perform. The range of linearity between the DPPH inhibition percentage and sample concentration has been studied with a view to simplifying the method for characterising samples of wine origin.

Characterisation of commercial aromatised vinegars: phenolic compounds, volatile composition and antioxidant activity.

Background: Nineteen commercially available aromatised vinegars, which were representative of this type of product, were tested to ascertain their phenolic and volatile composition and antioxidant activity. The aromatised vinegars came from different raw materials such as fruits, spices, herbs and vegetables. The antioxidant activity was determined by means of photochemiluminescence, phenolic profile by using ultra performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection, and the volatile composition was determined by using stir bar sorptive extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Development and optimisation by means of sensory analysis of new beverages based on different fruit juices and sherry wine vinegar.

Background: Despite the long history of sherry wine vinegar, new alternatives of consumption are being developed, with the aim of diversifying its market. Several new acetic-based fruit juices have been developed by optimising the amount of sherry wine vinegar added to different fruit juices: apple, peach, orange and pineapple. Once the concentrations of wine vinegar were optimised by an expert panel, the aforementioned new acetic fruit juices were tasted by 86 consumers.

Characterization and differentiation of sherry brandies using their aromatic profile.

Aroma compounds of 48 Sherry brandies have been identified and quantified by the stir bar sorptive extraction method coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SBSE-GC/MS). Analysis of variance and multivariate analysis techniques have been used to classify these brandy samples according to the commercial category (Solera brandy, Solera Reserva brandy, and Solera Gran Reserva brandy). From an univariate point of view (analysis of variance), several of the volatile compounds considered showed significant differences.

Optimizing the process of making sweet wines to minimize the content of ochratoxin A.

During the drying process of raisins, the grapes are subjected to climatic variations that can result in heavy infections of some fungal species that produce ochratoxin A (OTA), a powerful toxic metabolite, whose maximum permitted content is set by the European Union at 2.0 μg/L for grapes, wine and other drinks derived from the grape. The aim of this paper is to optimize the process of making sweet wines in order to minimize the content of ochratoxin A.

Study of the polyphenolic composition and antioxidant activity of new sherry vinegar-derived products by maceration with fruits.

Several experiments of maceration of a sherry wine vinegar with different fruits (orange, lemon, strawberry, grapefruit, and lime) have been carried out. After optimization (only peel, no heating and seven days as maximum time of maceration), parameters such as polyphenolic content, superoxide anion scavenging ability (related to antioxidant activity) and ascorbic acid content were determined in sherry wine vinegars macerated with two amounts of peel and for two maceration times (3 and 7 days). The analysis of variance pointed to a clear relationship (p<0.

A new FT-IR method combined with multivariate analysis for the classification of vinegars from different raw materials and production processes.

Background: Due to the diversity of vinegars on the market and the increase in demand, it is considered necessary to investigate and establish criteria for classifying them in order to obtain more information concerning their real origin. New spectroscopic techniques such us mid-infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transform (FT-IR) are capable of providing information in relation to these aspects. FT-IR combined with multivariate analysis has been used to classify vinegars according to the raw materials and production processes (with or without ageing in wood).

Traceability of phytosanitary products in the production of a Sherry wine vinegar.

In the present work, the monitoring of the evolution of the different phytosanitary products employed in the production of a Sherry wine vinegar has been carried out. The study covers the complete process, from the grape ripening to the vinegar fermentation. For the liquid sample analysis, a method based on SBSE (stir bar sorptive extraction) coupled to GC-MS and previously developed was used.

Stir bar sorptive extraction of volatile compounds in vinegar: validation study and comparison with solid phase microextraction.

Stir bar sorptive extraction was evaluated for analysing volatiles in vinegar. The procedure developed shows detection and quantitation limits, and linear ranges adequate for analysing this type of compounds. The accuracy obtained was close to 100%, with repeatability values lower than 13%.

Optimization of stir bar sorptive extraction applied to the determination of pesticides in vinegars.

Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) has been evaluated for analysing pesticides in vinegar. The extraction analytical conditions have been optimised using a two-level factorial design expanded further to a central composite design. After optimization, the proposed analytical conditions are: sample volume 40 mL, sampling time 150 min, and stirring speed 1000 rpm.

Optimisation of stir bar sorptive extraction applied to the determination of volatile compounds in vinegars.

Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) was evaluated for analysing volatile compounds in vinegar. The extraction and desorption analytical conditions have been optimised using a two-level factorial design expanded further to a central composite design. This chemometric tool is very appropriate in screening experiments where the aim is to investigate several possibly influential and/or interacting factors.

Sugar contents of Brandy de Jerez during its aging.

Brandy de Jerez is aged in American oak casks according to the traditional dynamic system (Soleras y Criaderas) and sometimes additionally by the static system (Anadas). The experimental arrangement used here for the analytical monitoring of brandy aging consisted of 15 casks, 12 of which were set up for aging by the dynamic system, which is well established in the denomination of origin area, whereas the other 3 contained the same brandy but aged according to the static system. This paper studies the kinetics of sugar extraction from oak wood to distillate, as well as the possible correlations between the sugar contents in brandy and its age or the commercial type it belongs to (Solera, Solera Reserva, or Solera Gran Reserva).

Changes in the polyphenolic and volatile contents of "fino" sherry wine exposed to ultraviolet and visible radiation during storage.

Experiments of accelerated oxidation of "fino" sherry wines have been conducted at 25 degrees C and under the influence of UV-visible radiation (a xenon lamp of 1500 W). With the aim of determining the contribution of UV-vis radiation to the browning phenomenon, two types of glass bottles were employed: topaz bottles (with low values of transmittance in the UV-visible range) and transparent bottles. To identify significant differences between the wine before and after being subjected to the influence of the UV-vis radiation, the values of absorbance at 420 nm and the concentrations of various polyphenolic and volatile compounds were submitted to a multivariate variance analysis.

Study of the polyphenol content of red and white grape varieties by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and its relationship to antioxidant power.

There is considerable interest in the analysis of phenolic compounds due to their involvement in the organoleptic characteristics of foods and drinks, and their contribution to protection against cardiovascular diseases and cancers through their antioxidant activity. This article describes studies of the polyphenol content, both total (by means of the Folin-Ciocalteu method) and individual (by means of HPLC, LC-MS and LC-MS-MS) and the antioxidant power, of six varieties of grape over the course of their maturation. A good correlation is found to exist between the total polyphenol content of the samples and their antioxidant power, and both seem diminish along the maturation.

Optimisation of headspace solid-phase microextraction for the analysis of volatile phenols in wine.

Headspace solid-phase microextraction has been applied to the analysis of volatile phenols in wine. Silica fibre coated with Carbowax-divinylbenzene was found to be more efficient at extracting these compounds than other fibres such as those coated with polydimethylsiloxane, polyacrylate, carboxen-polydimethylsiloxane, and polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene. Different parameters such as extraction time, temperature of the sample during the extraction, ionic strength and sample volume were optimised using a two-level factorial design expanded further to a central composite design, in order to evaluate several possibly influential and/or interacting factors.

Chemometric studies of vinegars from different raw materials and processes of production.

The phenolic composition, aroma compounds, and organic acid content of 83 vinegars have been determined. Multivariate analysis techniques have been used to classify these vinegar samples according to raw material (white wine, red wine, apple, honey, alcohol, balsamic, and malt) and production process (with and without aging in wood). Cluster analysis grouped the samples according to production process.