Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of three varieties of Argentinean red wines

ROMINA D. DI PAOLA-NARANJO; MA. VERÓNICA BARONI; SANTIAGO N. OTAIZA GONZÁLEZ; MICAELA S. RUIZ-SMANIA; DANIEL A. WUNDERLIN

Beaune

Congreso; Wine Active Compounds (WAC) International Conference; 2011

Université de Bourgogne

Wine is an excellent source for various classes of polyphenols, including phenolic acids, flavonols, anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols and stilbenes. These compounds give quality attributes to the wine, contributing to the colour and sensory properties such as flavor and astringency. Polyphenols are the principal compounds related to the benefits of wine consuming in the diet because of the properties attributed to them [1]. They manifest a wide range of beneficial health effects including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-carcinogenic and antiatherogenic activities [2].Some of these properties are directly related to their antioxidant activity. The chemical structure of most polyphenols appears to be ideal for free radical scavenging, specifically, it depends on their ability to donate hydrogen or electron and their ability to delocalise the unpaired electron within the aromatic structure. In vitro studies have shown that the majority of flavonoids are more effective antioxidants than vitamins E and C [3]. Consequently, the evaluation of antioxidant activity is of major interest to compare the potential antioxidant value of different foods and to evaluate antioxidant intake. Furthermore, the profile of phenolic compounds help to evaluate which compounds are mainly involved as free radical scavengers, acting as chemoprotectors that could be emphasized for dietary purposes. Antioxidant activity of wines has been determined by a wide variety of methods and has been related with total polyphenols index [4, 5], and with the concentrations of individual polyphenols [6]. There are no reports about phenolic composition of Argentinean wines and their contribution to the antioxidant activity. Our main goal was to assess the concentration of ten phenolic compounds and the corresponding antioxidant activity in red wine samples, considering three main varieties produced in Argentina: Malbec, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.