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New fluorescence method for detecting haze-forming proteins

he methods currently used for testing heat stability of white wine can be time-consuming, expensive and may not always accurately predict the amount of bentonite required to achieve protein stability. This could lead to over-fining, which might strip out phenolics and aroma compounds, or under-fining, which could increase the risk of protein instability. As an alternative, an efficient and rapid fluorescence-based method to detect haze-forming proteins in white wines has been developed at the AWRI, with the work recently published in the journal Food Chemistry.

The method uses a fluorescent compound that binds haze-forming proteins selectively. To validate it, a range of wines were analysed with results compared to an established HPLC method. A linear relationship was observed between the two methods over a range of relevant haze protein concentrations and the new method showed a low detection limit of 2 mg/L. The new technology can be deployed rapidly, without sample preparation, presenting an opportunity for routine testing. The full paper detailing this work is available from the AWRI library:

Mierczynska-Vasilev, A., Vasilev, A., Reilly, T., Bindon, K., Vasilev, K. 2022. Fluorescence sensing technology for the rapid detection of haze-forming proteins in white wine. Food Chem. 374: 131770.

For more information, contact Agnieszka Mierczynska-Vasilev on agnieszka.mierczynska-vasilev@awri.com.au.

Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Impact Report – the results are in

Some key highlights from the report include:

• Energy: The program’s members are transitioning towards the Australian grape and wine sector’s target of net zero emissions, with 100% of members measuring and reporting on scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions and 72% of vineyards and 82% of wineries prioritising energy efficient practices.
• Water: 87% of vineyards and 79% of wineries have taken action to plan, monitor and reduce water use to maximise water efficiency.
• Waste: 72% of vineyards and 89% of wineries have diverted waste from landfill and identified recycling and reuse options, furthering the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia’s commitment to the wine sector’s zero waste by 2050 target.
• People & Business: 80% of vineyards and 93% of wineries engage in at least one community or environmental initiative building better connections between wine producers and their communities to further strengthen the sector for future generations.

For more information on membership, visit https://sustainablewinegrowing.com.au/membership/

New partnership with international society

Practices survey coming later this year

The AWRI will be commencing the second edition of its comprehensive grape and wine practices survey in September. This follows the first survey conducted in 2016, which produced a detailed snapshot of vineyard and winery practices and equipment in use at that time. The goal of the survey, which will be repeated every six years, is to provide independent data tracking the evolution of vineyard and winery practices and technology adoption. If there are topics, practices or equipment that were not covered in the original survey that you think should be included in this second edition, we are interested to hear from you. Please email simon.nordestgaard@awri.com.au to suggest new additions to the survey.

New irrigation videos

AWITC – less than a month to go!

It’s hard to believe that in four weeks’ time the 18th AWITC will be in full swing! Preparations are well underway across the AWRI, with staff contributing to the technical poster display, workshop program, plenary presentations and planning committee. Keep an eye on the AWITC website for all the latest news as our industry prepares to gather together in person and we look forward to seeing you at stand 1113 in the WineTech trade show.

Season 2 of AWRI decanted podcast coming soon

Order the latest staff publications online

Accessing the latest AWRI publications is easy. Visit the AWRI Publications web page to:

• View the 10 most recent AWRI staff publications and order the articles online from the AWRI Library
• Search the staff publications database
• Read the full-text of ‘Technical Notes’ from Technical Review (PDF format)
• Read the full-text of ‘AWRI reports’ and ‘Vineyards of the world columns’ published in Wine & Viticulture Journal (PDF format)
• Read the full text of ‘Ask the AWRI columns’ published in Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker

The AWRI’s most recent publications are listed below.

2281 Coulter, A. Ask the AWRI: Interpreting AWRI smoke panel analysis results. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (698): 42-43; 2022 (link to article).

2282 Kassara, S., Norton, E., Mierczynska-Vasilev, A., Lavi Sacks, G., Bindon, K.A. Quantification of protein by acid hydrolysis reveals higher than expected concentrations in red wines: implications for wine tannin concentration and colloidal stability. Food Chem. 385: 132658; 2022 (link to article).

2283 Cordente, A.G., Curtin, C.D., Solomon, M., Kulcsar, A.C., Watson, F., Pisaniello, L., Schmidt, S.A., Espinase Nandorfy, D. Modulation of volatile thiol release during fermentation of red musts by wine yeast. Processes 10(3): 502; 2022 (link to article).

2284 González-García, L.E., MacGregor, M.N., Visalakshan, R.M., Lazarian, A., Cavallaro, A.A., Morsbach, S., Mierczynska-Vasilev, A., Mailänder, V., Landfester, K., Vasilev K. Nanoparticles surface chemistry influence on protein corona composition and inflammatory responses. Nanomaterials 12(4): 682; 2022 (link to article).

2285 Day, M., Wilkes, E., Kirby, J., Wright, C., Krstic, M. Analytical approaches to wine authenticity. Wine Vitic. J. 38(2): 29-31; 2022 (link to article).

2286 Dry, P. Grenache blanc. Wine Vitic. J. 38(2): p. 58 ; 2022

2287 Habili, N., Little, A., Essling, M., Rinaldo, A. Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 and its management strategies in vineyards. Wine Vitic. J. 38(2): 34-40 ; 2022

2288 Ntuli, R., Saltman, Y., Ponangi, R., Jeffery, D., Bindon, K., Wilkinson, K. Applications of flash détente for red wine style differentiation. Wine Vitic. J. 38(2): 20-24 ; 2022

2289 Pisaniello, L., Watson, F., Siebert, T., Francis, L., Hixson, J.L. The varietal influence of flavour precursors from grape marc on monoterpene and C13-Norisoprenoid profiles in wine as determined by Membrane-Assisted Solvent Extraction (MASE) GC-MS. Molecules. 27(7): 2046; 2022 (link to article).

2290 Capone, D.L., Francis, I.L., Clingleffer, P.R. Evidence that methoxypyrazine accumulation is elevated in Shiraz rachis grown on Ramsey rootstock, increasing ‘green’ flavour in wine. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. 28(2): 304-315; 2022 (link to article).

2291 Essling, M., Schwarz, C. Ask the AWRI: How to get the most out of copper sprays. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (699): 76-78; 2022.

2292 Onetto, C.A., Sosnowski, M.R., Van den Heuvel, S., Borneman, A.R. Population genomics of the grapevine pathogen Eutypa lata reveals evidence for population expansion and intraspecific differences in secondary metabolite gene clusters. PLoS Genetics 18(4): e1010153; 2022 (link to article).

2293 Wang, Y.M., Ostendorf, B., Gautam, D., Habili, N., Pagay, V. Plant viral disease detection: from molecular diagnosis to optical sensing technology-a multidisciplinary review. Remote Sens. 14(7): 1542; 2022 (link to article).

Acknowledgements

The AWRI acknowledges support from Australia’s grapegrowers and winemakers through their investment body, Wine Australia, with matching funds from the Australian Government. The AWRI is a member of the Wine Innovation Cluster in Adelaide, South Australia.