Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXV, Issue 1
Written by Arina Oana ANTOCE, Victoria ARTEM, George Adrian COJOCARU
Chitosan is a natural polymer approved for the treatments of organic vineyards based on its fungicide effect. Beside the protection it offers, chitosan has also the potential to modulate polyphenolic content in the black grapes, hence improving the colour of the resulted red wines. The present study on Feteasca neagra variety organically cultivated showed that there was indeed an improvement of the total polyphenolic content and colour of wines obtained from grapes treated with chitosan (5 kg/ha), as compared to the wines from grapes only subjected to the usual treatment based on Bordeaux mixture (5 kg/ha). The study included a mixed treatment, with both chitosan and Bordeaux mixture (5+5 kg/ha). The increase of total polyphenols and colour is apparent in all samples treated with chitosan, being higher when chitosan was used alone than in the case of the mixed treatment. The sensory qualities of the wines were also influenced. While the main sensory parameters of the wines were not significantly affected by the vineyard treatments, the aromatic profiles perceived sensorially showed that the floral scent decreased and the spiciness increased due to chitosan treatment, the effect being more evident in the case of chitosan used alone. These preliminary results suggest that chitosan can be useful for the modulation of the wine quality and style.
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