White Wine Protein Instability: Mechanism, Quality Control and Technological Alternatives for Wine Stabilisation—An Overview
Fernanda Cosme,
Conceição Fernandes,
Tânia Ribeiro,
Luís Filipe-Ribeiro,
Fernando M. Nunes
Affiliations
Fernanda Cosme
CQ-VR, Chemistry Research Centre-Vila Real, Food and Wine Chemistry Lab., School of Life Sciences and Environment, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Conceição Fernandes
Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), ESA-Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Tânia Ribeiro
CQ-VR, Chemistry Research Centre-Vila Real, Food and Wine Chemistry Lab., School of Life Sciences and Environment, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Luís Filipe-Ribeiro
CQ-VR, Chemistry Research Centre-Vila Real, Food and Wine Chemistry Lab., School of Life Sciences and Environment, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Fernando M. Nunes
CQ-VR, Chemistry Research Centre-Vila Real, Food and Wine Chemistry Lab., School of Life Sciences and Environment, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Wine protein instability depends on several factors, but wine grape proteins are the main haze factors, being mainly caused by pathogenesis-related proteins (thaumatin-like proteins and chitinases) with a molecular weight between 10~40 kDa and an isoelectric point below six. Wine protein stability tests are needed for the routine control of this wine instability, and to select the best technological approach to remove the unstable proteins. The heat test is the most used, with good correlation with the natural proteins’ precipitations and because high temperatures are the main protein instability factor after wine bottling. Many products and technological solutions have been studied in recent years; however, sodium bentonite is still the most efficient and used treatment to remove unstable proteins from white wines. This overview resumes and discusses the different aspects involved in wine protein instability, from the wine protein instability mechanisms, the protein stability tests used, and technological alternatives available to stabilise wines with protein instability problems.
