Effect of partial dealcoholization of fine red wines through lyophilization

Abstract

Abstract – Drinks with reduced alcohol content have gained space in the world consumer market. Thus, the development of conservative technologies, capable of partially removing alcohol without impairing its sensorial characteristics, is of great interest to the wine industry. The objective of this study was to test the efficiency and to understand the effects of the lyophilization process for partial dealcoholization of wines. The samples were submitted to the lyophilization process, and the kinetics of decay or concentration of the wine matrix components were evaluated by correlation between the values of the physicochemical parameters and the time of exposure, in intervals from 30 to 120 minutes. The method was efficient to reduce the volatile compounds of wine, with emphasis on alcohol (0.038 ° GL) and water (0.9 mL) per minute. As a result of the gradual volume reduction, increases in acidity (0.092 meqL -1) and total polyphenol indices (2.77 mg EAGL -1) were observed per minute. Regarding sensorial aspects, there were decreases with greater variability in the descriptors associated with olfactory intensity and taste clarity.