Data fusion of electronic eye and electronic tongue signals to monitor grape ripening.

Two separate artificial sensors, an electronic eye (EE) and an electronic tongue (ET), were recently developed to monitor grape ripening based on the analysis of must. The aim of this research is to exploit the complementary information obtained by means of EE and ET sensing systems using different data fusion strategies, in order to develop an integrated device able to quickly and easily quantify the physico-chemical parameters that are used to assess phenolic ripeness. To this purpose, both low-level and mid-level data fusion approaches were investigated.

Study of the repartition of phthalate esters during distillation of wine for spirit production.

Due to health concerns and legal matters, an investigation to limit phthalates esters (PEAs) in spirits is necessary. A lab still was used to perform pilot distillations according to the official method for brandy production in order to explore the repartition into the distilled fractions of each PAE. The process was divided in two steps: a première chauffe and a bonne chauffe.

Application of a stir bar sorptive extraction method for the determination of volatile compounds in different grape varieties.

Background: Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) has been employed for the analysis of aroma compounds directly from Spanish and Italian grape extracts. The extraction conditions have been optimized using a statistical approach, obtaining results that improve the current state of the art.

Results: The proposed analytical conditions were: sample volume 40 mL, extraction time 80 min, 25% (w/v) NaCl and stirring speed 750 rpm using 20 mm × 0.

Ampelographic and chemical characterization of Reggio Emilia and Modena (northern Italy) grapes for two traditional seasonings: 'saba' and 'agresto'.

Background: 'Saba' and 'agresto' are traditional Italian products both based on unfermented grape juices that are concentrated by heating. The former is obtained from ripe grapes and the latter from unripe grapes. In this work, we have characterized the main red-skinned (Ancellotta, Fortana, Lambrusco di Sorbara, Lambrusco grasparossa, Lambrusco salamino and Uva Tosca) and white-skinned (Lugliatica, Spergola, Trebbiano di Spagna and Trebbiano modenese) cultivars used for 'saba' and 'agresto' production, focusing on the variability expressed by ampelographic traits, physical and chemical parameters and anthocyanin profile.