Experimental study on dealcoholization of wine by osmotic distillation process

Profile of red wine partially dealcoholized with a membrane-based technique and strategies to mitigate the loss of volatile compounds

In recent years, climate change has led to higher grape must sugar content and, consequently, increased alcohol by volume. Evaporative or pertraction is a common method for post-fermentation ethanol removal from wines, but it selectively removes some less polar volatile compounds along with ethanol. To mitigate volatile substance loss, this study investigates blending of the red wine (Marzemino-Cabernet blend) with obtained dealcoholized samples from it by industrial evaporative pertraction system, while maintaining the final product within a two-percentage-point reduction in ethanol. Thus MIX 1 and MIX 2 blends were prepared, reducing the ABV of the initial wine (12.5% alcohol by volume) to 10.5% and 9.5%. Chemical analyses highlighted that most alcohols, acetates, and ethyl esters of fatty acids decreased with alcohol by volume reduction. However, compounds with polar groups (acetoin and acetovanillone), C13-norisoprenoids, and certain lactones showed increasing trends. Sensory analysis indicated high scores for sweetness and smoothness in the blended wines, with a decrease in acidic taste. Floral scents notably increased, particularly in MIX 2, closely resembling the initial wine's sensory profile. The blending of initial wine with appropriately dealcoholized wine samples has proven to be an effective strategy for preserving bouquet and color of dealcoholized wines. This approach broadens the consumer base by catering to people who prefer low-alcohol options, have dietary restrictions, or are health-conscious, but who still wish to savor wines with aromatic quality rather than a flat taste. This strategy is crucial in the wine industry as it successfully addresses technical challenges and ensures economic viability.

Cultivar difference characterization of kiwifruit wines on phenolic profiles, volatiles and antioxidant activity

Antioxidant activity and volatiles of kiwifruit wine with different flesh colors were investigated in this study. Green (Guichang and Xuxiang), red (Donghong and Hongyang), and yellow (Jinyan) kiwifruits were analyzed to determine their alcohol content, phenolic profiles, antioxidant activity, and aroma composition. The results showed that Hongyang and Donghong wines had higher antioxidant activity and content of antioxidant substances. Hongyang wine possessed the most abundance of polyphenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid and catechins were the main polyphenols of kiwi wines. The 101 aromatic components were detected, Xuxiang wine possessed 64 aromatic compounds, Donghong and Hongyang wines had the higher esters compositions, 79.87%, and 78.0% respectively. From PCA (Principal Component Analysis), the volatile substances of kiwi wine with the same flesh color were similar. Five kinds of kiwi wines shared 32 kinds of volatile compounds, these compounds may be the core volatiles in kiwi wine. Therefore, the color of kiwi flesh can impact wine flavor, with Hongyang and Donghong kiwis owning red flesh being the most suitable for producing kiwi wine which would be a new milestone to the wine manufactures.

Membrane techniques in the production of beverages

The most important developments in membrane techniques used in the beverage industry are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the production of fruit and vegetable juices and nonalcoholic drinks, including beer and wine. This choice was dictated by the observed consumer trends, who increasingly appreciate healthy food and its taste qualities.

Effects of Production Methods on Flavour Characteristics of Nonalcoholic Wine

The growing awareness on the negative effects of alcohol on health and other factors like religious beliefs, responsible driving, and strict alcohol regulatory laws have contributed to the overwhelming demand for nonalcoholic wines. Numerous methods are available for producing nonalcoholic wines which encompass both restrictive ethanol production processes (interrupted fermentation, cold fermentation, juice/wine blends, use of unripe fruit, enzyme, and special and immobilized yeasts) and alcohol removal methods (heat, membrane, and extraction techniques). Studies have shown that these methods significantly affect the flavour characteristics of the wine, which is a key quality parameter in wine purchasing and consumption. It is in view of this that this work seeks to review current articles on the effects of production methods on the flavour characteristics of nonalcoholic wine. This review will provide insight on nonalcoholic wine production methods, their merits and demerits, and contributions to flavour characteristics. It will also unfold research opportunities in the field of nonalcoholic wine production for continual improvement and development of the wine industry.

Techniques for Dealcoholization of Wines: Their Impact on Wine Phenolic Composition, Volatile Composition, and Sensory Characteristics

The attention of some winemakers and researchers over the past years has been drawn towards the partial or total dealcoholization of wines and alcoholic beverages due to trends in wine styles, and the effect of climate change on wine alcohol content. To achieve this, different techniques have been used at the various stages of winemaking, among which the physical dealcoholization techniques, particularly membrane separation (nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, evaporative perstraction, and pervaporation) and thermal distillation (vacuum distillation and spinning cone column), have shown promising results and hence are being used for commercial production. However, the removal of alcohol by these techniques can cause changes in color and losses of desirable volatile aroma compounds, which can subsequently affect the sensory quality and acceptability of the wine by consumers. Aside from the removal of ethanol, other factors such as the ethanol concentration, the kind of alcohol removal technique, the retention properties of the wine non-volatile matrix, and the chemical-physical properties of the aroma compounds can influence changes in the wine sensory quality during dealcoholization. This review highlights and summarizes some of the techniques for wine dealcoholization and their impact on wine quality to help winemakers in choosing the best technique to limit adverse effects in dealcoholized wines and to help meet the needs and acceptance among different targeted consumers such as younger people, pregnant women, drivers, and teetotalers.

Non-alcoholic beer production – an overview

Through years beer became one of the best known alcoholic beverages in the world. For some reason e.g. healthy lifestyle, medical reasons, driver’s duties, etc. there is a need for soft drink with similar organoleptic properties as standard beer. There are two major approaches to obtain such product. First is to interfere with biological aspects of beer production technology like changes in mashing regime or to perform fermentation in conditions that promote lower alcohol production or using special (often genetic modified) microorganism. Second approach is to remove alcohol from standard beer. It is mainly possible due to evaporation techniques and membrane ones. All these approaches are presented in the paper.

What's in wine? A clinician's perspective<sup/>

Alcoholic beverages, specifically wine, have been consumed for many years. Wine is postulated to play an important role in the improvement of cardiovascular risk factors. Most epidemiological studies have found sustained consumption at light-to-moderate amounts to increase HDL cholesterol, reduce platelet aggregation, and promote fibrinolysis. Wine consumption has been inversely associated with ischemic heart disease, and the alcohol-blood pressure association, in most studies, follows a J-shaped curve. These outcomes have been attributed to the molecular constituents of wine, namely ethanol and polyphenols. Due to the continued interest in wine as a biological beverage, we review the chemistry of wine as clinicians, including its chemical composition, viticulture and enological practices, and other chemical factors that influence the bioactive components of wine. We also outline the biological effects of wine components and directions for future research.

Impact of Osmotic Distillation on the Sensory Properties and Quality of Low Alcohol Beer

The production of low alcohol beer (LAB) with a full and well-balanced flavour is still now a complex challenge because of the different flavour profile they have compared to regular beers. In this study, a brown ale beer was used to obtain a low alcohol beer by osmotic distillation in a small pilot plant. Beer-diluted carbonated solutions were used as strippers and were taken under flux of CO2 in order to contrast loss of volatiles from beer during the process. A forced carbonation was applied on LAB to avoid the foam collapse. Furthermore, hop extract and pectin solution were added to LAB to improve the overall taste and body. Results highlighted an improvement into retention of volatiles probably due to the use of carbonated solutions such as strippers. The forced carbonation and the addition of pectins ensured both a higher concentration of dissolved CO2 and a higher stability of foam in LAB. The antioxidant activity of beer remained unchanged. The sensory analysis highlighted differences among low alcohol beer and original one. The addition of hop extract and pectin solution to LAB better maintained hop and fruity-citrus notes during tasting, compared with the original beer.

Membrane Technologies in Wine Industry: An Overview

Membrane processes are increasingly reported for various applications in wine industry such as microfiltration, electrodialysis, and reverse osmosis, but also emerging processes as bipolar electrodialysis and membrane contactor. Membrane-based processes are playing a critical role in the field of separation/purification, clarification, stabilization, concentration, and de-alcoholization of wine products. They begin to be an integral part of the winemaking process. This review will provide an overview of recent developments, applications, and published literature in membrane technologies applied in wine industry.

Changes in volatile composition and sensory attributes of wines during alcohol content reduction

A desirable sensory profile is a major consumer driver for wine acceptability and should be considered during the production of reduced-alcohol wines. Although various viticultural practices and microbiological approaches show promising results, separation technologies such as membrane filtration, in particular reverse osmosis and evaporative perstraction, in addition to vacuum distillation, represent the most common commercial methods used to produce reduced-alcohol wine. However, ethanol removal from wine can result in a significant loss of volatile compounds such as esters (ethyl octanoate, ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate) that contribute positively to the overall perceived aroma. These losses can potentially reduce the acceptability of the wine to consumers and decrease their willingness to purchase wines that have had their alcohol level reduced. The change in aroma as a result of the ethanol removal processes is influenced by a number of factors: the type of alcohol reduction process; the chemical-physical properties (volatility, hydrophobicity, steric hindrance) of the aroma compounds; the retention properties of the wine non-volatile matrix; and the ethanol level. This review identifies and summarises possible deleterious influences of the dealcoholisation process and describes best practice strategies to maintain the original wine composition. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Partial dealcoholization of red wine by nanofiltration and its effect on anthocyanin and resveratrol levels

The present work studies the use of nanofiltration for the production of red wine concentrate with low alcohol content. Factorial design was applied to measure the influences of transmembrane pressure (10-20 bar) and temperature (20-40 ℃) on the retention of valuable components such as anthocyanins and resveratrol, and on the nanofiltration membrane performance. The highest retention of anthocyanin and resveratrol was achieved at low temperature (20 ℃), while the high transmembrane pressure (20 bar) was found to increase the permeate flux considerably. The experiments demonstrated that nanofiltration appears as a valid technique for the production of low alcohol content red wine concentrate. Reduction of volume by a factor of 4, leads to 2.5-3 times more anthocyanins and resveratrol in the wine concentrates. The final new wine products - obtained by using various forms of reconstitution of the concentrated wine - had low alcohol content (4-6 % by volume) and their sensory attributes were similar to those of the original wine.

Effects of Operating Conditions during Low-Alcohol Beer Production by Osmotic Distillation

Osmotic distillation (OD) is a membrane technology most commonly used for liquid concentration, but recently there has been an increased interest in ethanol removal from alcoholic beverages. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of the variation of some operating conditions (temperature, flow rate, type and amount of stripping solution), specifically in regard to the effect on quality and sensory properties of the dealcoholized beers. The results indicated that temperature and flow rate variation showed no significant effect, whereas stripping solution variation had substantial effects mainly in terms of the ethanol removed. A cost appraisal showed that the operating costs were high mainly because of the cost of the stripping water. However, it is important to consider the final stripping solution, which is slightly alcoholic and enriched in flavor. For this reason, it could be reused in the manufacture of beverages, for instance as high gravity beer dilution water.

Production technologies for reduced alcoholic wines

The production and sale of alcohol-reduced wines, and the lowering of ethanol concentration in wines with alcohol levels greater than acceptable for a specific wine style, poses a number of technical and marketing challenges. Several engineering solutions and wine production strategies that focus upon pre- or postfermentation technologies have been described and patented for production of wines with lower ethanol concentrations than would naturally arise through normal fermentation and wine production techniques. However, consumer perception and acceptance of the sensory quality of wines manufactured by techniques that utilize thermal distillation for alcohol removal is generally unfavorable. This negative perception from consumers has focused attention on nonthermal production processes and the development or selection of specific yeast strains with downregulated or modified gene expression for alcohol production. The information presented in this review will allow winemakers to assess the relative technical merits of each of the technologies described and make decisions regarding implementation of novel winemaking techniques for reducing ethanol concentration in wine.