Use of microfungi in the treatment of oak chips: possible effects on wine.
BACKGROUND
Oak barrels are commonly used in the aging of wines and spirits because of their positive effects on the product. In recent years the addition of oak chips has been used to introduce desirable wood aromas and flavours into wines. In this study, oak chips in saline solution or laboratory medium were inoculated with Penicillium purpurogenum, Aureobasidium pullulans, Phialemonium obovatum, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and a combination of Ph. chrysosporium and A. pullulans. After 12 weeks of incubation, oak chips (2 g L(-1)) were macerated in a red wine for 17 days. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography were used to evaluate 14 compounds, namely furfural, furfuryl alcohol, guaiacol, syringol, cis-β-methyl-γ-octalactone, 2-phenylethanol, 4-vinylguaiacol, benzyl alcohol, 2,3-butanediol, γ-butyrolactone, benzaldehyde, 4-ethylguaiacol, gallic acid and ellagic acid.


RESULTS
The microfungal treatments increased the concentration of some components. In particular, P. purpurogenum resulted in a significant improvement in the levels of guaiacol, furfural, syringol, furfuryl alcohol and 2-phenylethanol.


CONCLUSIONS
Penicillium purpurogenum and Ph. chrysosporium showed a constant trend (enrichment of furfural and benzaldehyde) independent to some extent of the medium used for chip treatment.
Petruzzi
Leonardo
L
Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agricultural Science, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.
Bevilacqua
Antonio
A
Ciccarone
Claudio
C
Gambacorta
Giuseppe
G
Irlante
Giuseppina
G
Pati
Sandra
S
Sinigaglia
Milena
M
D001547:Benzaldehydes / Q000032:analysis; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005524:Food Technology; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D005658:Fungi; D005662:Furaldehyde / Q000032:analysis; D029963:Quercus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology; D027843:Vitis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology; D014920:Wine / Q000382:microbiology*
D001547:Benzaldehydes; D005662:Furaldehyde; C032175:benzaldehyde