No abstract

Ozonated water is being introduced as an alternative phytosanitary treatment to control grapevine diseases in a context in which the reduction of chemical pesticides has become an urgent necessity. In this study, we evaluated the effect of spraying grapevines with ozonated water on the enological, phenolic, and aromatic qualities of Bobal wines during two consecutive growing seasons. In the first season, ozonated water was applied once during the ripening period on grapevines trained on the traditional gobelet system (S1). In the second season, three applications were performed between fruit set and harvest on grapevines grown on a vertical trellis system (S2). The S1 treatment led to a wine with an increased alcoholic degree and a remarkably higher phenolic content, which resulted in preferable chromatic characteristics. The S2 treatment maintained the total phenolic content but significantly enhanced stilbenes and flavanols and also reduced anthocyanins, which negatively affected the wine colour. Regarding aroma, both treatments reduced the content of glycosylated precursors and had different effects on free volatiles, both varietal and fermentative. Thus, the metabolic response of grapevines to the ozonated water stress, and therefore the quality of wines, depended on the ozone dose received by the plants.

Ozonated water has recently been incorporated in the management of grapevine diseases, which in turn can alter the fruit quality. When wood-inhabiting pathogens are involved, trunk injection or “endotherapy” represents a promising application method. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect on grape quality of ozonated water applied to Vitis vinifera L. cv. Bobal grapevines through endotherapy (E) or its combination with spraying (E + S). Grape quality at harvest was evaluated through several enological and chromatic parameters, the phenolic maturity, the varietal aroma potential index (IPAv) and the phenolic and volatile composition. The E treatment improved the chromatic characteristics and favored the accumulation of phenolic compounds. Conversely, E + S had a detrimental effect on the color and phenolic content and, although their synthesis was enhanced, the extractability of anthocyanins was negatively affected. In terms of aroma, both treatments reduced the content of glycosylated precursors but increased certain free volatiles. The application of ozonated water to grapevines, even when injected into the trunk, results in changes in fruit quality and a possible impact on wine attributes. Our findings and those in the literature support that, with the appropriate dose, frequency and method of application, ozonated water could be used with a twofold objective: disease management and grape quality improvement.

Background and Aims Ozonated water has been used in vineyards to reduce the use of pesticides because of its presumed efficacy in the control of fungal diseases and the absence of residues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ozonated water treatments on the composition of grapes. Methods and Results Ozonated water was applied to grapevines of Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon throughout the season. Several application strategies were used, namely, spraying, irrigation, irrigation combined with spraying, endotherapy and endotherapy combined with spraying. The effect of the treatments varied with the season and also with the application strategy. Conclusions The combination of irrigation and spraying of ozonated water produced a significant increase in the colour of grapes and an improved phenolic concentration and aromatic potential. Endotherapy and irrigation had a negative effect on grape composition; however, grape composition improved significantly when these strategies were combined with spraying. Significance of the Study Ozonated water treatments in vineyards can improve the colour, phenolic concentration and aromatic potential of grapes while at the same time reducing the use of phytochemicals.

The aim of this work was to assess the antifungal and antioxidant activity of essential oils and ethanolic extracts from distilled solid by-products from aromatic plants (Artemisia dracunculus, Hyssopus officinalis, Lavandula stoechas, Origanum vulgare and Satureja montana) against 14 fungi strains isolated from sheep cheese and identified at species level using DNA barcoding based on β-tubulin sequence analysis. In addition, capacity of fungi to produce ochratoxin A, patulin, cyclopiazonic acid and sterigmatocystin was analyzed. Of the isolates, 85.7% belonged to Penicillium (P. commune/biforme, P. crustosum) and 14.3% to Aspergillus (A. puulaauensis and A. jensenii), the first time that these Aspergillus species have been found in sheep’s cheese. All P. commune isolates were producers of cyclopiazonic acid, and the two Aspergillus strains produced sterigmatocystin, but the others did not produce any tested mycotoxin. Among the essential oils tested, oregano, savory and tarragon had a significant antifungal activity against all the isolated strains, but no ethanolic extract showed antifungal activity. By contrast, ethanolic extracts showed great potential as antioxidants. The identification of new molds in cheese will help the dairy industry to know more about those molds affecting the sector, and the use of aromatic plants in the control of fungal spoilage could be a suitable alternative to chemical preservatives used in the agri-food industry.