Effect of Methyl Jasmonate Doped Nanoparticles on Nitrogen Composition of Monastrell Grapes and Wines

Abstract

Nitrogen composition on grapevines has a direct effect on the quality of wines since it contributes to develop certain volatile compounds and assists in the correct kinetics of alcoholic fermentation. Several strategies can be used to ensure nitrogen content in grapes and one of them could be the use of elicitors such as methyl jasmonate. The use of this elicitor has been proven to be efficient in the production of secondary metabolites which increases the quality of wines, but its use also has some drawbacks such as its low water solubility, high volatility, and its expensive cost. This study observes the impact on the amino acid and ammonium composition of must and wine of Monastrell grapes that have been treated with methyl jasmonate (MeJ) and methyl jasmonate n-doped calcium phosphate nanoparticles (MeJ-ACP). The first objective of this study was to compare the effect of these treatments to determine if the nitrogenous composition of the berries and wines increased. The second aim was to determine if the nanoparticle treatments showed similar effects to conventional treatments so that the ones which are more efficient and sustainable from an agricultural point of view can be selected. The results showed how both treatments increased amino acid composition in grapes and wines during two consecutive seasons and as well as the use of MeJ-ACP showed better results compared to MeJ despite using less quantity (1 mM compared to 10 mM typically). So, this application form of MeJ could be used as an alternative in order to carry out a more efficient and sustainable agriculture.

Influence of elicitors application to Monastrell and Tempranillo vineyards on grape nitrogen composition over two vintages

“…On the other hand, in a recent study, Gil-Muñoz et al (2021) showed how MeJ increased the total amino acid content in Monastrell musts although these differences were more noticeable in 2019 compared to 2020; however, Pérez-Álvarez et al (2022), in the same grape variety and seasons, observed that foliar treatments with MeJ supported in nanoparticles had little impact on grape amino acids concentration. Different studies reported that methyl jasmonate, the methyl ester of jasmonic acid (JA), may activate the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), which is the key enzyme that catalyses the first step in the phenolic biosynthesis (Belhadj et al, 2006), increasing phenolic composition in grapevines (Portu et al, 2016).…”

Foliar applications to vines of methyl jasmonate and nanoparticles doped with methyl jasmonate: impact on grape and wine polysaccharide composition

“…Vine spacing was 2.80 m x 1.25 m. Foliar applications of MeJ and ACP-MeJ were studied. To carry out the treatments, aqueous solutions were prepared with a concentration of 10 mM of MeJ according to Garde-Cerdán et al (2016) and Garde-Cerdán et al (2018), and 1 mM of ACP-MeJ according to Gil-Muñoz et al (2021) and Pérez-Álvarez et al (2022), using Tween 80 as a wetting agent (1 mL/L). The control plants were sprayed only with a water solution of Tween 80.…”

Methyl Jasmonate and Nanoparticles Doped with Methyl Jasmonate affect the Cell Wall Composition of Monastrell Grape Skins

“…The use of nanotechnology, due to slow release, has been shown to improve the efficiency of MeJ in grapes. A study on Monastrell grapes and wines showed an increase in amino acid composition in foliar treatments with MeJ and nano-methyl jasmonate (nano-MeJ) in a similar way [ 22 ]. In addition, other researchers showed an increase in stilbene content in Monastrell wines from grapes treated with MeJ and nano-MeJ [ 23 ].…”