title: Polyphenol content and total antioxidant activity of vini novelli (young red wines).
abstract: Eight commercial Italian vini novelli (red wines prepared by carbonic maceration and supposed to be consumed within three months from their wine-making) were evaluated for their total antioxidant activity. The wines had an average total phenol content (1605.4 +/- 337.4 mg/L gallic acid equivalents) lower than that of wines prepared by traditional maceration and consumable after aging (2057. 3 +/- 524.0 mg/L gallic acid equivalents). The average flavanol content (424.7 +/- 121.3 mg/L catechin equivalents) and the total antioxidant activity (16.8 +/- 3.8 mmol/L Trolox equivalents) of vini novelli were higher than the corresponding values (382.7 +/- 174.5 mg/L catechin equivalents and 12.3 +/- 3.3 mmol/L Trolox equivalents) found for aged wines. Three couples of experimental wines were prepared from the same grapes by traditional or carbonic maceration. These wines showed a different phenolic pattern, anthocyanins being more abundant in vini novelli. However, the average total antioxidant activities of the wines were similar, suggesting that aging (and not the wine-making technique) is the main factor influencing the antioxidant activity of red wines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Microbiology, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simonetti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gardana
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Brenna
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brighenti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pietta
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000032:analysis*; D044948:Flavonols; D006801:Humans; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis*; D011108:Polymers / Q000032:analysis*; D014920:Wine / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D005419:Flavonoids; D044948:Flavonols; D010636:Phenols; D011108:Polymers