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Alternative technologies have been extensively investigated towards a more sustainable ageing of red wine, but few studies were made on wine spirits. Moreover, the effect of micro-oxygenation on wine spirits’ ageing is still unknown. This work examined the effect of micro-oxygenation and wood staves applied in 1000 L stainless steel tanks versus 250 L wooden barrels on the phenolic composition and chromatic characteristics acquired by the wine spirit over the first six months of ageing. Two different kinds of wood, Limousin oak and chestnut, were used. Significantly higher total phenolic content and individual contents of low molecular weight phenolic compounds (syringic acid, ellagic acid, vanillin, syringaldehyde, coniferaldehyde, sinapaldehyde and umbelliferone) were obtained with micro-oxygenation and staves than with barrels, for both kinds of wood. Accordingly, greater colour evolution (lower lightness, higher saturation and higher intensities of red, yellow and brown hues) was achieved in the former. These results were ascribed to a faster extraction and its balance with several phenomena involving the wood-derived compounds in the specific environment created by the direct supply of oxygen. A synergistic effect between the alternative technology and the chestnut wood was also observed.

The development of new materials environmentally friendly has become an important market niche for the food industry. The agro-industrial wastes and by-products can be an alternative for the production of biodegradable food packaging. The work aimed to produce biodegradable plastic film extruded with antioxidant and antibacterial properties by the joining of cassava starch and Brazilian propolis by-product (BPB). The volatile profile of BPB, Brazilian propolis by-product film (BPBF), and control film (CF) were analyzed by gas chromatography. The mechanical, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of the films were also assessed. Eighty-seven volatile compounds were detected with aldehydes and terpenoids predominating in the samples. The major terpenoid detected in the samples was the 2-pinen-10-ol followed by α-copaene. Benzaldehyde and benzenepropanoic acid ethyl ester were the major aldehyde and ester classes present in the films. The BPBF exhibited promising mechanical properties showing the highest Elasticity modulus (11.96 Mpa) and excellent antioxidant (8.45 mmol Trolox equivalent/g) and antibacterial (12.5 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella Typhimurium) activities. The valorization of agro-industrial by-products following the current trends to environmental care can be a sustainable alternative for the development of a plastic into which the propolis by-product is incorporated in biodegradable packaging info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Chemistry and to select the most suitable technological option towards quality and sustainability. Following two articles on the same trial, this work focused on colour, total phenolic index (TPI) and basic chemical characteristics of a wine spirit aged in 50 L demijohns with chestnut wood staves together with three micro-oxygenation (MOX) levels. Chromatic characteristics and TPI were monitored over time (8–365 days) while sensory colour, alcoholic strength, acidity, pH and dry extract were assessed at the end of ageing. Results showed that stronger oxygenation promoted significantly faster colour evolution (lower lightness, higher chroma, red, yellow and brown hues) and higher TPI than mild and intermediate oxygenation until 60 days, probably by favouring the leaching of outer wood layers and extraction/degradation of tannins. No significant differences were found between these ageing modalities at 365 days. Outcomes suggest that the stronger MOX is the most suitable modality in terms of quality and sustainability. Significant differences between wine spirits resulting from MOX and control modality (slower colour evolution, lower TPI and dry extract) confirms the oxygen pivotal role in wine spirit’s ageing, particularly in the colour evolution. This work was supported by National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology under the Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-027819 (PTDC/OCE-ETA/27819/2017). This work is also funded by National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology under the Projects UIDB/05183/2020[MED]; UIDB/00239/ 2020 [CEF]; UIDB/00100/2020, UIDP/00100/2020 [CQE]; UID/AGR/04129/2020, DL 57/2016/CP1382/CT0025 [LEAF] and contract CEECIND/02725/2018. The authors thank Victor de Freitas as the Scientific Consultant of the Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-027819. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

During the ageing process of wine spirits several phenomena occur, which are responsible for the final quality of the beverage. This work aimed to discriminate the aged wine spirits according to the wood species, ageing technology and ageing time using FT-Raman methodology. For this purpose, the same Lourinha wine distillate aged in 250-L wooden barrels of Limousin oak wood (L) and chestnut wood (C) separately and used together (L + C), was monitored through FT-Raman during the first 12 months of ageing. This technique was also applied to the same wine distillate aged in stainless steel tanks with staves of the same kinds of wood and during the same period. FT-Raman allows separating the wine spirits according to the different wood species and ageing time. This technique seems to be a promising tool to monitor the ageing process of wine spirit through different technologies.