This research aimed to more clearly describe the interactions of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura; Diptera: Drosophilidae) with microorganisms that may contribute to spoilage or quality loss of wine grapes during harvest. Experiments were conducted in controlled laboratory experiments and under field conditions to determine these effects. Laboratory trials determined the role of insect contact and oviposition to vector spoilage bacteria onto wine grapes. In the field, the roles of key organoleptic parameters in grape fruit ripening were assessed to determine their relative contribution to oviposition potential as fruit ripened. Finally, field trials determined the relationships of egg and larval infestation to sour rot levels. Non-ovipositional trials indicated elevated levels of microbiota when D. suzukii was present. D. suzukii oviposition exponentially increased the concentration of acetic acid bacteria. Both incised and sound berries showed a significant increase in concentrations of acetic acid bacteria exposed to D. suzukii. Volatile acidity was higher in treatments infested with D. suzukii. Fruit with only eggs did not develop a significant increase of volatile acidity. Larva-infested grape berries in 9.5% of samples developed higher volatile acidity after 14 d. Sound grape berries were less susceptible to the development of microbiota associated with sour rot and spoilage. D. suzukii oviposition and larval development increase risk of spoilage bacteria vectored by D. suzukii adults. Acetic acid bacteria induced fermentation and produced several volatile compounds contributing to spoilage. Spoilage bacteria may create a positive feedback loop that attracts both D. suzukii and other drosophilids, which may contribute to additional spoilage.

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The simultaneous inoculum of yeasts and bacteria is a feasible solution for improving fermentation in wines with a harsh chemical composition, capable of inhibiting microbial activity. Considering the risk of wine spoilage due to lactic bacteria, co-inoculum is suggested in white wines with a low pH. However, climate change has also caused problems in achieving malolactic fermentation in red wines, due to the high concentration of ethanol and the low nutrient content. In this work, 5 pairs of commercial oenological starters were tested in simultaneous fermentation, using 4 red musts with a low nitrogen content, and compared with a traditional winemaking process. The simultaneous inoculum caused a slowdown in the activity of yeasts, although no problems in the accomplishment of alcoholic fermentations were observed. More reliable malolactic fermentation was performed in the co-inoculum trials, while, in traditional winemaking, some failures in the degradation of malic acid were observed. Microbiological analyses agreed with these observations. No differences were found in yeast density during alcoholic fermentation, demonstrating the absence of negative interaction between the yeast and the bacteria. However, simultaneous fermentation is not without risks; the highest increases of acetic acid were noted in the coinoculum trials. The addition of yeast and bacteria to must with a serious lack of nutrients would appear to be a promising alternative to traditional fermentation; however, careful control of the chemical composition of must is mandatory to obtain reliable microbiological activity in the first stages of winemaking.

Apple cider is a traditional beverage in the Italian Alps, but little is reported about is composition. Accordingly, ciders produced with Golden Lasa, Braeburn, Granny Smith, Fuji, Reinette Champagne and Reinette Canada dessert apples were obtained on a semi‐industrial scale using various fermentation options and Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. A spectrum of compounds was analysed to better characterise the product: phosphate, chloride, nitrate, sulphate, total phenols, 52 mineral elements and 16 volatile compounds. Tristimulus chromatic parameters were measured before and after accelerated ageing and correlated with total phenol concentration. The elemental composition was compared with that of French ciders, revealing significant differences. Yeast related differences were found for several aroma compounds and 4‐ethylcatechol. Apple variety and processing contributed to the differences in methanol content. This work provides the first compositional data of Italian Alps ciders. © 2018 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling

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The effect of ultrasound (20 kHz, 153 μm) on the prefermentation extraction mechanisms in Sauvignon Blanc grapes was studied, focusing on 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol (3MH) and 4-mercapto-4-methyl-pentan-2-one (4MMP) precursors linked to glutathione (GSH) and cysteine (Cys). The treatment determined a positive extraction trend between the duration (untreated, 3 and 5 min) and the conductivity or the concentration of catechins and total phenols, significantly differentiated after 5 min. Nevertheless, the concentration of the thiol precursors in grape juice not only remained undifferentiated, but that of 3-S-glutathionyl mercaptohexan-1-ol showed a negative trend with the treatment time applied (168 ± 43, 156 ± 36, and 149 ± 32 μg/L, respectively, for control, 3 and 5 min). The divergence on the effect between families of compounds suggests an interaction between the sonication treatment and thiol precursor molecules. In order to evaluate the possible degradation properly, ultrasound was applied in a model solution spiked with 3MH and 4MMP precursors, reproducing the conditions of grapes. Except for Cys-3MH, the mean concentration (n = 5) for the rest of the precursors was significantly lower in treated samples, predominantly in those linked to glutathione (~−22% and ~18% for GSH-3MH and GSH-4MMP) rather than to cysteine (~−6%~−8% for Cys-3MH and Cys-4MMP). The degradation of precursors was associated with a significant increase of 3MH and 4MMP. The formation of volatile thiols following sonication is interesting from a technological point of view, as they are key aroma compounds of wine and potentially exploitable in the wine industry through specific vinification protocols.

Polyphenols, especially anthocyanins, play an important role on red wine sensory qualities and their evolution during storage. High Power Ultrasound (HPU) has been recognized as one of the most promising technologies which can be applied in winemaking processes for several purposes, and it is recently officially approved for crushed grapes treatments. The effect of ultrasound amplitude (41 and 81%) and treatment time (1, 3, and 5 min) has been studied on anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, tannins, polymerized pigments, HCl index, and the color intensity of two finished red young wines. Anthocyanins and phenols compounds were not degraded with an increase in amplitude and sonication time, and the chromatic properties of the selected wines were preserved. Amplitude and ultrasound time were also evaluated considering their effect on evolution of anthocyanin content and phenolic stability indices during the first thirty days of storage. The higher level of amplitude (81%) induced a higher percentage decrease in tannins, 15% and 40% after 15 and 30 days of storage, respectively, compared to untreated wine which did not show a significant change during storage. HPU shows a possible chemical effect on the evolution of some analytical indices during bottling maturation, but their effectiveness could be strictly linked with the initial phenolic profile and ratios between polyphenol classes.

BACKGROUND Over recent years, a new wave of disease‐tolerant to mildew varieties has flooded the viticulture sector, for reasons of human safety and economic expediency. These hybrid grape cultivars are selected mainly on the basis of their intrinsic capability to counter the attack of the main fungal diseases that affect grape production, such as downy mildew and powdery mildew. However, their organoleptic and oenological characteristics have not yet been studied in depth for purposes of both juice and wine production, due to the high number of newly proposed germplasms and the lack of information about their adaptability to different environments. This work examines the thiol aroma precursors concentration in 64 red and white disease‐tolerant hybrid varieties in the vine germplasm collections of Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria–Viticulture and Enology Research Center and Fondazione Edmund Mach, both from the north‐east of Italy. RESULTS All cultivars showed the presence of 3‐mercaptohexan‐1‐ol (3MH) precursors, ranging from 4.4 to 1141 μg kg−1 for 3‐S‐glutathionyl hexan‐1‐ol (GSH‐3MH), and from 0.3 to 136 μg kg−1 for 3‐S‐cysteinyl 3‐hexan‐1‐ol. The concentration of GSH‐3MH exceeded 600 μg kg−1 in eight varieties, with values comparable to those of the richest Vitis vinifera reported so far. On average, red grapes showed higher concentrations of 3MH precursors than white ones did. Only two hybrids had 4‐mercapto‐4‐methylpentan‐2‐one (4MMP) precursors over the limit of quantification, albeit with a much higher concentration than those normally reported in Sauvignon Blanc. CONCLUSION This is the first detailed survey of 3MH and 4MMP precursors carried out taking into account a considerable number of hybrid grape varieties. The results show that some of these varieties could be interesting for the production of tropical juices or tropical‐aromatic wines and soft drinks, through the enzymatic liberation of thiol aromas, as well as for the production of aromatizing tannins to be used in the food industry. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry