Wine consumption has been popular worldwide for many centuries. Based on in vitro and in vivo studies, a certain amount of everyday wine consumption may prevent various chronic diseases. This is due, in part, to the presence and amount of important antioxidants in red wine, and, therefore, research has focused on them. Wine polyphenols, especially resveratrol, anthocyanins, and catechins, are the most effective wine antioxidants. Resveratrol is active in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases by neutralizing free oxygen radicals and reactive nitrogenous radicals; it penetrates the blood-brain barrier and, thus, protects the brain and nerve cells. It also reduces platelet aggregation and so counteracts the formation of blood clots or thrombi. The main aim of this review is to summarize the current findings about the positive influence of wine consumption on human organ function, chronic diseases, and the reduction of damage to the cardiovascular system.

The paper deals with the study of antioxidant properties of extracts from vine seeds (Vitis vinifera L.) using spectrometric and chromatographic techniques. Ten vine varieties (Cerason, Laurot, Kofranka, Gewürztraminer, Hibernal, Blaufrankisch, Zweigeltrebe, Erilon, Palava, and Welschriesling) obtained from the years 2015, 2016, and 2017 were selected for the study. The antioxidant activity was determined spectrophotometrically using four fundamentally different methods; the content of total polyphenolic compounds was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method. In 2015, the content of 14 antioxidants (gallic acid, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, coutaric acid, ferulic acid, fertaric acid, trans-piceid, trans-piceatannol, rutin, quercetin-3-β-d-glucoside, quercitrin, myricetin, catechin, and epicatechin) were studied. The results of the study show the high content of antioxidant components in grape seeds and the differences in content in individual varieties and in individual years.

This review is focused on the study of the effects of grape seed and skin extract (GSSE) on human health. GSSE contains high concentrations of important polyphenolic substances with high biological activity. This review is a summary of studies that investigate the effects of GSSE on diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and cancer, its neuroprotective effect, and its effects on the gastrointestinal tract and other health complications related to these diseases. The results of the studies confirm that the anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and pro-proliferative effects of “Vitis vinifera L.” seed extract reduce the level of oxidative stress and improve the overall lipid metabolism.

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The COPHES/DEMOCOPHES twin project was performed in 2011-2012 in 17 European countries to harmonize all steps of the human biomonitoring survey. Urinary cadmium, cotinine, phthalate metabolites, and hair mercury were measured in children (N = 120, 6-11 years) and their mothers of reproductive age, living in urban or rural areas. Cadmium in mothers' and children's urine was detected at a geometric mean (GM) concentration 0.227 and 0.109 μg/L, respectively; 95th percentile (P95) was 0.655 and 0.280 μg/L in mothers and children, respectively. No age-related, education-related, or urban versus rural differences were observed within the frame of each population group. Cadmium urinary level in mothers was about twofold compared with children. Higher levels were obtained in all smoking mothers but not in occasionally smoking or mothers and children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Mercury values in mothers were significantly higher in urban than in rural populations but not in children. GM and P95 for mercury in children's hair were 0.098 and 0.439 μg/g and in mothers' hair were 0.155 and 0.570 μg/g. Concentrations for mercury in the Czech samples were lower than European average. Hair mercury increased significantly with consumption of fish or seafood and with number of amalgam tooth fillings (in children). A positive association was found with family educational level. No influence of age was observed. Urinary cadmium and hair mercury levels were lower than health-based guidelines with one exception. High levels of urinary cotinine were found in the 12 smoking mothers (GM approximately 500 μg/L); lower levels in occasionally smoking mothers, N = 11 (34.5 μg/L). The mean cotinine levels in nonsmoking mothers who reported daily exposure to ETS was 10.7 μg/L. A similar mean value (10.8 μg/L) was obtained in six children who had daily exposure to ETS. In children without exposure to ETS, the mean cotinine level was 1.39 μg/L urine. Cotinine in the urine of children demonstrates limited protection of the Czech children against exposure to ETS.

This work is focused on a clear summary of the analytical techniques used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of malic acid and tartaric acid in wine and must. Particular emphasis is placed on electrochemical methods. The methods applied are divided into 5 basic groupschromatographic, electrochemical, spectroscopic, enzymatic and titration. Some of these methods are already receding or are used only to a limited extent, mostly by small-scale winegrowers. The most widespread method in this field is high performance liquid chromatography combined with various types of detectors. The methods of capillary electrophoresis are on the rise. Expansion of spectroscopic and enzymatic techniques is not very significant and is mainly used in combination with other techniques. With the constant development of instrumentation, the analysis of these basic acids has become very accurate and the analysis time has been minimized. Currently is experimentally tested a combination of these techniques to bring financial savings into sample analysis.

It is well known, that grapevine seeds are rich in significant antioxidants. However, the issue of dealing with the analysis and comparison of antioxidant components in the seeds of Vitis vinifera L. in individual cultivars has not yet been sufficiently studied. The experiment was performed with extracts of three varieties (Blaufränkish, Italian Riesling and Cabernet Moravia) and three interspecific cultivars (Nativa, Marlen and Kofranka). Contents of nine major flavonoids (apigenin, astragalin, hyperoside, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, myricetin, quercetin, quercitrin and rutin) and two procyanidins (procyanidin A 2 and procyanidin B 1 ) were assessed by the HPLC/MS method. The highest contents of antioxidants were found out in interspecific cultivars Marlen and Nativa while the lowest one was assessed in the cultivar Cabernet Moravia. The most represented flavonoid was hyperoside (cultivar Marlen -15.66 mg•l -1 ), least represented was kaempferol (cultivar Cabernet Moravia -1.81 µg•l -1 ).