Abstract

Multivariate Statistical data Analysis (MVA) was used to study the changes undergone by the UV-Vis spectral profiles of polyphenolic components during vinification. Two Sardinian wines, from the white cultivar “Vermentino” and from the red “Cannonau”, were studied. The wine samples were collected at different times from the fermentation vessels and the UV-Vis spectra of their solid phase extracts (SPE) were submitted to PCA (Principal Component Analysis) and to Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures (OPLS) regression analysis in order to look for the main source of variability present in the spectra in terms of grape typology and winemaking times. In Vermentino, during the first weeks of vinification the prevalent modifications regarded the increase of the bands at 280 and 350 nm, attributed to HBA, stilbenes flavan-3-ols and glycosylated flavonols, respectively; at approximately 60 days a bathocromic shift of the band at 350 nm towards 380 nm took place, suggesting hydrolysis of flavonols. In Cannonau, the band at 536 nm, attributed to anthocyanins, that showed a consistent increase in the first days of vinification, after 11 days dropped significantly, exhibiting also a bathochromic shift. The band at 380 nm was linearly positively correlated with time. Our results support the potential use of this approach for qualitatively monitoring the winemaking process.

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