Tag Archives: wine industry

Grape Seed Extracts Reduce Formaldehyde Levels in Leather Production

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Becca| Leave a comment

 

I’ve covered the topic of the recycling of wine industry a lot lately on The Academic Wino, as it is it becoming increasing more desired in the wine business to not only decrease the contaminants and potentially toxic chemicals in the environment, but to also increase the overall sustainability of the industry as a whole.  Everywhere I look there are more and more papers on the topic, and even though they vary widely in their potential applications, they all boil down to the same thing: environmental friendliness and sustainable practices.  In the European Union, there is approximately 14.5 million tons of wine industry

Photo by davity dave: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Pomace_in_the_vineyard_after_pressing.jpg/800px-Pomace_in_the_vineyard_after_pressing.jpg

waste produced from wineries within its borders, which is a lot of material that could be recycled and reused for other purposes.

Most of you are aware by now that wine industry waste contains primarily crushed grape skins, seeds, and pulp.  You also may know already that these winemaking by-products are rich in beneficial polyphenol compounds that act as antioxidants, antibacterial agents, anticarcinogenic agents, antiviral agents, et cetera.  We’ve seen research that focuses on using wine industry wastes as supplements to one’s diet; for use as supplements to the winemaking process in order to improve wine quality; for adding to processed meats to reduce carcinogenic properties; and for coming with animal manure to produce an alternative fuel source, just to name a few.

Today’s paper focuses on yet another application for wine industry waste: as a treatment in leather production to reduce toxic by-products often associated with the process.  Now, I understand that leather production in and of itself is a hot topic amongst many animal rights proponents, however, I’ll ask you to bear with me and not go down that road for now.  I am not taking any stance in this post on the use of leather for the purpose of clothing or other products, however, since this is a common practice around the world, it is important to find more “environmentally and health friendly” ways to produce it, regardless of whether or not you agree to the practice to begin with.  That issue is a whole other discussion which is not appropriate for this type of blog.

Back to the topic at hand…

One of the by-products of leather production is formaldehyde, which at certain levels can be very unpleasant to the nostrils, as well as toxic to both humans and the environments.  Something that is used in preserving dead creatures for

Formaldehyde

Photo source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Formaldehyde-2D.svg/634px-Formaldehyde-2D.svg.png

science labs isn’t exactly something I would want to be in contact with for extended periods of time.  Formaldehyde is not actually used in the production of leather; however, compounds in the leather itself can react with other production agents (i.e. synthetic tanning agents, resins, etc) and produce free formaldehyde in the air around it.  This free formaldehyde can cause an array of health problems, and is known to illicit allergic responses in some individuals.

Many countries throughout the world have placed limits on the allowable levels of formaldehyde.  The European Union classifies formaldehyde as a Category 3 suspected carcinogen, with allowable levels of formaldehyde in clothes which are not in direct contact with the skin no greater than 300ppm (parts per million).  Levels of formaldehyde in clothes which are not in direct contact with the skin are very similar in New Zealand, and are even lower for children and those with sensitive skin.  Allowable levels of formaldehyde in the United States vary depending upon the context.  For example, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) permissible exposure limits in air are 0.75ppm, short term exposure limits (over 15 minutes) are 2ppm, and action levels (over an 8 hour period) are 0.5ppm.  It is in the best interest of those working in the leather production industry, and ultimately those that are exposed to the leather once it is finished, that ways to reduce free formaldehyde in the air is of critical importance.

In a previous study performed by the authors of the current study, they found that by using Camellia sinensis and Vinca rosea, the leaves and flowers of which are utilized to make tea and therapeutic compounds, respectively, were effective in reducing the levels of free formaldehyde in leather production.  The common compounds between the two, which were likely involved in the reduction of formaldehyde levels were the tannins; as well as the polyphenolic compound catechin (part of the flavanol family) and gallic acid components.

Building upon these findings, the authors then examined grape seed extracts, which were produced from wine industry waste.  Grape seeds contain many of the same polyphenolic compounds as the species studied previously, and also include proanthocyanidin molecules which are also part of the flavanol family.  Would grape seeds also act to decrease levels of free formaldehyde in leather production as tea had?  The paper presented today aimed to examine that very question.

Methods

Vitis vinifera wine grape seeds were utilized in this study, and did not include other portions of the industry waste (such as skins or pulp). Seeds were ground and then prepared by three different methods: 1) as a powder; 2) as an extract; and 3) as an extract using a modified procedure (details omitted by cited in an unpublished document).

The source of the leather was domestic wet salted sheep skins.

Leather was produced using approved methods and was treated with each of the three grape seed treatments plus a non-grape seed control.

Experiments were repeated 3 times.

Results

  • Modified grape seed extract treatment resulted in leather with the lowest levels of free formaldehyde.
    • All three grape seed treatments (powder, plus two different extracts) reduced the levels of free formaldehyde compared to the control.
  • Even though the grape seed powder was effective, it did not completely dissolve in water.
    • This created powder residues on the leather which is likely visually unappealing to consumers.
    • Extracts did completely dissolve in water, thereby would be more desirable in leather production than the powder.

Concluding Thoughts

This was a short and sweet study, which tested the effectiveness of grape seed powder and extracts on the levels of free formaldehyde in leather production.  According to the results, all treatments made from grape seeds were effective in reducing the levels of free formaldehyde in leather production, though modified grape seed extracts were the most effective.  Even though grape seed powder was effective in reducing the levels of formaldehyde, it is not an ideal product to use in leather production, since the powder did not fully dissolve in water and thereby left a powdery residue on the finished leathers’ surface.

In their concluding statements, the authors suggested that the amount of grape seed extract used in leather production could be increased or decreased in order to further control the levels of free formaldehyde by-products.  Specifically,

Photo by kanthalion: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5292/5418747419_290a8f2963.jpg

increasing the amount of grape seed extract in the leather production should further decrease the levels of free formaldehyde produced.  This statement was not supplemented with experimental evidence, thus must be taken with a grain of salt.  In theory, the prediction is plausible; however, one should not be so confident that it is correct without experimental evidence.  This would make a good follow-up experiment to the experiment presented above.

I would be curious to see how extracts made from complete grape marc (i.e. seeds, skins, and pulp) performed in the same experiment.  This may be a more realistic approach, as the seeds would not have to be separated from the marc prior to creating the extracts.

Another follow-up experiment could involve different types of leather.  Are these extracts as effective with other types of leather?  Could these extracts be utilized in the production of synthetic leathers somehow?

In general, this study provided yet another interesting use of wine industry wastes, though certainly more work needs to be done to further optimize the process.

What do you all think of this study or this topic in general?  Please feel free to leave your comments!

Sources:

Bayramoğlu, E.E. 2013. Hidden treasure of nature: PAs. The effects of grape seeds on free formaldehyde of leather. Industrial Crops and Products 41: 53-56.

“Proposed Government Product Safety Policy Statement on Acceptable Limits of Formaldehyde in Clothing and Other Textiles”. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, New Zealand.  http://www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/pdf-library/publications/Acceptable-Limits-of-Formaldehyde-in-Clothing-and-Other-Textiles.pdf  Accessed 11/10/12.

“OSHA Fact Sheet: Formaldehyde”. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, United States. http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/formaldehyde-factsheet.pdf Accessed 11/10/12.

Posted in Environmental Science

Tagged , , , , ,

Book Review: The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years by Thomas Pinney

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Becca| Leave a comment


“Like” The Academic Wino on Facebook by clicking here! 

Follow The Academic Wino on Twitter by clicking here! (@TheAcademicWino) 

Want your book reviewed?  Shoot me an email at becca@academicwino.com/

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a book review.  To be honest, I’ve been so busy that it’s taken me since the last book review until now to finish this most recent book.  To date, I’ve reviewed 4 books on this site (not including today’s book) including:

To read any of these reviews, feel free to click on the book titles and you’ll be whisked away to the appropriate post.

For today’s book review, I present to you The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years by Thomas Pinney.  Though at times I found myself skimming through paragraphs quickly due to my busy schedule, overall this is a wonderful summary of the history of winemaking in the United States, and brings to light some of the “fathers” of American wine that would have been otherwise forgotten.

http://photo.goodreads.com/
books/1340739077l/13457056.jpg

Since this book encompasses the historical figures in American wine for only the last two hundred years, the trials and tribulations of winemaking in the “New World” had mostly gone unmentioned.  Save for about a sentence or two referencing Thomas Jeffersons’ attempts at growing grapes and making wine, that part of American winemaking history was largely uncovered.  Of course, the scope of this book includes those figures only within the last 200 years, however, I was hoping for a little bit more of the very early history then what was described.  I’m obviously being a little picky and bias, as I live in Charlottesville, VA, the home of Thomas Jefferson.

The aforementioned omission is one of the only qualms I had with this book, as in general it was quite a well-researched and well-written documentary of American winemaking history which captured my attention and educated me on many of the major players in the American wine industry that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about.  For those that don’t realize the American wine industry did not start in California, you need to read this book.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
ommons/d/d0/Nick_Longworth_Portrait.JPG

 

Chapters 1 through 5 cover winemaking history in America pre-1900.  We first learn about John James Dufour in Chapter 1, as well as his many failures amidst a strong determination to succeed.  Next in Chapter 2, we are introduced to Nicholas Longworth, who was quite the experimenter with different vines, and who built the Cincinnati wine industry up from the ground, only for it to come crashing down soon after his death.  In Chapter 3, we meet George Husmann, who has been deemed the “father of the Missouri grape industry”, who popularized the Norton grape (among others) a very popular grape helped save the European wine industry from total destruction by the Phylloxera plight.

Chapters 4 and 5 introduce us to the first of many pioneers of the California wine industry: Charles Kohler, who according to the author “put California wines on the map”, and Andrea Sbarboro, the first of many Italians who made their name in the California wine industry.  Chapter 6 introduces us to Percy T. Morgan, and describes the formation and plan of the California Wine Association, which brought “big business” to the American wine industry for the first time in history.  Chapter 7 tells the tale of Paul Garrett, who was the “Dean of American Wine Growers” (according to Forbes magazine), and who managed to remain successful throughout the difficult Prohibition years, particularly with his “Virginia Dare” wines.

http://www.ciaprochef.com/
winestudies/events/images/vhf_gallo.jpg

Chapters 8 through 12 describe some of the names that many people believe are synonymous American wine history, as these names have and continue to resonate throughout the wine industry in the United States.  Quickly, these chapters describe the life and influence of Ernest and Julio Gallo, Frank Schoonmaker, Maynard Amerine, Konstantin Frank, and Robert Mondavi, all of which are well known in more recent history of American wine, and who all played important roles in shaping what American wine is today.

http://wineawards.info/media/cache/55/
3a/553a7e9bee3329609a22ffde48c4a82e.jpg

 

The final chapter introduces a relatively new “concept”, that is women becoming winemakers in America.  Women entering the scene as winemakers in the United States are a recent phenomenon, with the first indication of change occurring when Mary Ann Graf received her bachelor’s degree in Fermentation Science (i.e. winemaking) from the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California at Davis in 1965.  From then, women have been steadily gaining ground in the wine industry, with many women today enjoying the trials and tribulations of the illustrious career.  According to the author, there is still much work to be done, as by simply referring to females in the position of winemaker as “women winemaker” instead of “winemaker” indicates that men and women are not yet truly equal in the field.  This book elaborates on the story of Cathy Corison, one of which is one of the more inspiring stories I read throughout the entire book.

Overall, I found The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years by Thomas Pinney a fascinating glimpse into the history of the wine industry in the United States of which was well-written and at times very captivating.  I enjoyed learning about many of the major players in the wine industry during this time, and certainly learned a thing or two about how and when the wine industry started in this country. 

This book is perfect for those who love wine and love history and I certainly recommend it for those that enjoy historical literature and are seriously into learning about wine!

You may purchase the book on Amazon by click here: The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years

You may also purchase the book directly from the publisher by clicking here:  University of California Press.

If you buy it, please report back and let us know what you think!

Enjoy!

Posted in Literature

Tagged , , , , ,

China: The Next Leader in the Wine Industry?

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Becca| 2 Comments

A French Bordeaux…an Oregon Pinot…an Argentinean Malbec…a Chinese Merlot?

When you think of top wine producing and consuming nations, you think of France, Italy, the United States, etc.  European history is steeped in wine, as is the United States, South America, and Africa in more recent history.  However, due to its incredible economic boom within the past few decades, China is now looking to be the next “big boy” in the wine business, and could potentially dominate the industry as it has for so many other industries.

This week wraps up with an article looking at business and marketing strategies of the new economic giant, China, and how it has come to be at the forefront of wine production and exporting, with predictions on how the world of wine as we know it will or will not change.

http://www.wineoftheweek.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/china_wine.jpg

 

As a result of China’s booming economy, the demand for wine has increased, thus giving wine producers in other countries access to a new market that was not there before, and they are exporting more than ever.  With a population of over 1.3 billion people (in 2009), and a 4th in the world GDP ranking (in 2009), wine sales in China have increase significantly.  Not only have sales of imported wine gone up significantly, but wine and grape production in China has also significantly increased.  Therefore, the question arises:  will China rely mostly on imported wines from other countries to satisfy their consumer needs; or, will domestic production increase to a point where there is no demand for foreign wines, and they export more to dominate the world wine market?

Grape and Wine Production

Grapes are not a new agricultural crop in China.  They’ve been growing in the region for thousands of years, though wine production was next to nothing prior to the formation of the People’s Republic of China.  Once China’s economy took hold and started to grow rapidly, grape production also began to increase (though it is still behind the consumer demand for wine).  Several varieties of grapes are currently grown in China.  For whites, Chardonnay, Italian Riesling, Ugni blanc, Chenin blanc, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, white Riesling, and Rkatsiteli are grown.  For reds, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, French blue, Muscat, Hamburg, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Carignan, and Saperavi are grown.  Unlike a lot of other places in the world, China does not seem to have any phylloxera pest issues, which makes growing grapes successfully and to full ripeness much easier than in other places in the world.

In 2005, Chinese vineyards produced 487 million liters of wine from 1,150 thousand acres of grape vines, which exceeded the production of Australia, Chile, and South Africa combined!  Total vineyard acreage in China has grown over 113% between 2004-2009, which makes it the fastest grape growing country in the world.  In China, grapes are now the 5th most produced fruit in the country.  Even though this growth is impressive, per capita production of wine is still relatively low.  Therefore, China still relies heavily on imports, though if growth continues the way it has, that all may very well change.  Even so, China is the world’s fastest growing wine producer, backed by government campaigns urging the Chinese consumers to switch from rice wines to grape wines, in order to preserve the nation’s supply of rice for food production.

How much wine do the Chinese drink compared to the rest of the world?

As a result of the rapidly growing economy in China, more and more Chinese citizens are choosing to drink wine on a regular basis.  Wine consumption in China has been increasing by about 10% or more per year during this economic boom.  Chinese people are used to drinking spirits distilled from sorghum and maize (corn), but consuming a variety of alcoholic beverages (including wine) is the new trend for the Chinese culture.  By 2006, China made up about 6% of the total world wine market (in consumption), compared to 11% by the United States.  That statistic shows how quickly China is catching up to the Western world regarding the consumption of wine. 

http://www.prlog.org/10233742-chinese-tourists-enjoy-french-wine-in-bordeaux-france.jpg

 

One place where China is currently lagging is in per capita consumption.  This is likely due to the fact that there are significantly more people in China to divide all of the wine between, however, the fact of the matter is this value is still at a low point, though is likely to increase dramatically in the coming years.  For example, in 2009, per capita consumption of wine in China was a mere 1.12 liters, compared to 54 liters per capital in France, and 49 liters per capita in Italy.  This leaves a lot of room for increasing consumption, but based on the current growth patterns in China, it is likely to occur.

To Import, Export, or Produce One’s Own…

At this point in time, the demand for wine in China is far greater than the supply of Chinese wine in the domestic market.  The question remains: will foreign exports dominate the wine supply in China? Or will the domestic market grow to satiate that need, and potentially export to become a dominate player in the world wine industry?  It’s all well and good for foreign importers at the moment.  They are making a lot of money off of Chinese citizens demanding their wines.  What’s going to happen when the grape and wine production of China grows enough to alleviate the need for foreign imports?

http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/39a280f128a5a563e42f2d07379638c8.png

Some advantages China has over the rest of the world in regards to wine production (and most other products, for that matter) are their low-cost skilled employees, huge agricultural land holdings, and huge financial reserves, which make for an overall low cost of production, and ultimately low sticker price on the store shelves.  China has equipped themselves with the best technology available, and have the marketing and business skills necessary to become a world leader in wine production. 

For example the Longhai International Trading Company, Ltd, a Chinese real estate group, in 2009 acquired Château Latour Languens, which is a vineyard/winery in Bordeaux, France that produces upwards of 160,000 bottles per year from 30 hectares of vines.  The main reason for this purchase was to master the techniques of wine making in France, and to become a legitimate wine trader. 

As China becomes more serious about the wine industry and moves further away from “half-juice” wines, companies such as ChangYu are moving up in price point, focusing more on mid- to high-end wines.  In 2001, the company joined with Castel, a well-known French wine group, to further prove how serious they are about the world wine industry.  In 2006, the company joined forces with the Canadian Aurora Ice Wine Company, which were successful in planting 300 hectares of ice grape vines in China.  The ChangYu company also created a chateau in New Zealand (ChangYu Kely Estate of New Zealand), collaborating with the Karikari Estate of New Zealand to build a wine distribution network at 100 golf courses throughout China.  The wines produced by this company currently target foreigners, which therefore already shows how powerful a competitor China is and will become in the world wine market.

In 2007, ChangYu was ranked 10th in the world wine industry with sales revenue of $695 million USD.  This marked the first time in history that an Asia winery was listed as a Top 10 winery in the world.  Not only does China have some award-winning wines, but also have the cheap labor and low production costs to inundate the world with Chinese wines.  In May of this year, their 2009 Bordeaux-style blend (named Jia Beilan) made by the winery, Helan Qingxue, took home the top prize for the Middle East/Far East/Asia category for red wines over 10 pounds.  Though this competition wasn’t exactly The Judgment of Paris, shows how Chinese wines are starting to become higher in quality compared to wines throughout the rest of the world.

Will everything be “Made in China?”

http://trendsupdates.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/made-in-china-export-tag.jpg

 

So what happens when you have mid- to high-quality wines at the low low prices that China can produce?  Will it cost so much less for stores to carry them that they feature primarily Chinese made wines?  Will Bordeaux and Burgundy be a thing of the past?  I predict that China will become a major player in the world wine industry, much like the Yellow Tails and Penguins of Australia have become, however, with quality consistently high and the history rich, I don’t see French, Italian, American, or other European wine producers going out of business any time soon. 

What do you all think?  Please leave your comments below.  I’d love to hear what you have to say!

The full citation for the article used for reference during this discussion:

Mitry, D.J., Smith, D.E., and Jenster, P.V. 2009. China’s role in global competition in the wine industry: A new contestant and future trends. International Journal of Wine Research 1: 19-25.
I am not a health professional, nor do I pretend to be. Please consult your doctor before altering your alcohol consumption habits. Do not consume alcohol if you are under the age of 21. Do not drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly!

Posted in Business

Tagged , , , ,