African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 3 (10), pp. 523-528, October 2004           
ISSN 1684–5315 © 2004 Academic Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Compositional differences in the phenolics compounds of muscadine and bunch grape wines

Sheikh M. Basha*, Mitwe Musingo and Violeta S. Colova

Plant BiotechnologyCenter for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research  Florida A&M University

Tallahassee, FL 32307

*Corresponding author. E-Mail: Mehboob.sheikh@famu.edu.

Accepted 15 September, 2004

Wines contain a large array of phenolic compounds, belonging to non-flavonoids, flavonoids and phenolic-protein-polysaccharide complexes. Phenolics in wine are responsible for wine color, astringency, and bitterness.  This study evaluates phenolic composition of commercial and experimental wines derived from bunch (Vitis vinifera) and muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) grapes to determine compositional differences in phenolics. HPLC analysis of wines showed that majority of phenolic compounds eluted during the first 30 min. Of the red wines tested, Château Cabrieres Chateauneuf de Pape (Rhone) showed the simplest phenolics profile while Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera-California) showed the most complex profile. The phenolics composition of red and white wines varied greatly.  Some white wines from bunch grape were devoid of any phenolics. Among muscadine white wines, some contained large number of phenolic compounds while the others showed smaller number of phenolic compounds. These data suggested that both the red and white wines contained a complex mixture of phenolic compounds whose content and composition varied by brand suggesting that the wine processing technique greatly influences phenolics composition of wines than color of the wine. Muscadine red wines were quite distinct than that of the bunch grapes, indicating that grape chemistry has a greater influence on wine phenolic composition.

Key words: Grape, HPLC, phenolics, red and white wines.