It’s very difficult, if not impossible, for one single person to thoroughly review every single piece of peer reviewed literature related to wine that is published every day. This Wine Literature Review Lightning Round series presents three new papers (within the past year or two) in one post by briefly summarizing the research and linking to the abstract in order for you to pursue further if you’re interested. If there is enough reader interest, I can review any of the papers introduced to you in this post in a more critical assessment.
TECHNOLOGY
“Development of localized surface plasmon resonance biosensors for the detection of Brettanomyces bruxellensis in wine”, to be published in February 2016 (already available online) in the journal Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, aimed to develop and test LSPR (localized surface plasmon resonance) nanobiosensors for detecting Brett in wine. LSPR
![Photo By Maxdesbacchus (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.academicwino.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/brettanomyces-the-academic-wino.jpg)
Photo By Maxdesbacchus (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The researchers expected this LSPR nanobiosensor technology could provide a very fast and sensitive way to detect the specific spoilage organism, Brettanomyces bruxellensis in wine, in order to detect lower levels that might not be otherwise found with current methods of detection.
Brief Methods: The LSPR nanobiosensor in this study was created using a gold nanostructured surface that could attach to the 5’ end Thiol modified DNA probe of the Brettanomyces bruxellensis DNA. Varying DNA concentrations were used, to determine how sensitive this LSPR system could be in detecting the presence of Brett. LSPR nanobiosensors were combined with Brett yeast cultures as well as Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cultures to act as a negative control.
Light of varying wavelengths was scattered on the LSPR nanobiosensor-yeast mixtures and analyzed for the presence or absence of the Brett yeast based on the intensity of radiation transmitted.
Brief Results: Results showed that the LSPR nanobiosensor used in this study was highly specific to Brettanomyces bruxellensis, as none of the spoilage yeasts were detected in the Saccharomyces samples (as expected). The LSPR nanobiosensor tested was able to detect Brettanomyces bruxellensis at concentrations as low as 0.1ng/μL.
This technology could provide a fast and efficient way to detect Brettanomyces bruxellensis directly in wine (instead of only detecting common by-products of Brett infection).
HEALTH
“Role of melatonin, melatonin receptors and STAT3 in the cardioprotective effect of chronic and moderate consumption of red wine”, published in October 2015 in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, aimed to determine whether or not melatonin plays any role in the cardio-protective effect of red wine consumption against heart attacks, based on recent evidence that suggests melatonin injected directly into the heart seems to play a protective role (in rats).
Brief Methods: Rats were given daily water supplemented with either red wine, or
![Photo By Jason Snyder from Washington, DC, United States (WT and TK rat photo) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.academicwino.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/lab-rats-the-academic-wino.jpg)
Photo By Jason Snyder from Washington, DC, United States (WT and TK rat photo) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Brief Results: Red wine supplementation reduced the size of the damage caused by heart attack in the rats. Luzindole treatment did not affect the protective effect of red wine, while prazosin treatment decreased the protective effect of the red wine.
Results suggested that melatonin content may contribute to the cardio-protective characteristics of red wine, since red wine and melatonin treatments reduced the damage in rats suffering from heart attacks. Specifically, results suggest that melatonin receptor 3 might be either directly or indirectly involved with the cardio-protection, as blocking this receptor reduced the ability of red wine and melatonin to protect the rat heart against damage caused by heart attack.
SENSORY MATTERS
“Sip volumes affects oral release of wine volatiles”, published online in August 2015 in the journal Food Research International, aimed to evaluate how the volume of wine taken into the mouth in a sip affects the release of various aromatic compounds into the sensory system (i.e. retronasal pathway). Every person takes different sized sips or gulps, which could potentially influence how a particular wine tastes to that person. Results could influence what is known regarding subjective wine tasting descriptors and how a particular wine tastes from one person to the next.
Brief Methods: A 50/50 blend of two Falanghina white wines were used in this experiment
Photo courtesy Flickr user Jerzy Kociatklewicz
. A Retronasal Aroma Simulator (RAS) was used to act as the human mouth, where varying concentrations of human saliva and white wine was added and analyzed. Nitrogen was passed over the saliva/wine mixture in the RAS in order to trigger the release of wine volatiles from the mixture. Volatiles released from this treatment were analyzed.
Brief Results: Results indicated that wine sip volume significantly influences the volatiles released into the retronasal pathway. Larger sips of wine resulted in a significant increase in benzyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, TDN (1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene), and hexanoic acid. Smaller sips of wine resulted in a significant increase in ethyl acetate, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-hexanol, β-damascenone, and benzaldehyde. Results suggest that the concentration (and thus likely perception) of various wine volatile compounds is dependent upon the saliva/wine/air ratio.
These results suggest that how much wine you sip influences what you actually taste in the wine, though sensory analyses with real people (and not robots) needs to be done to support this idea.