Impact of pulsed electric field on the colour of wine made from grapes Marechal Foch variety

Abstract

The colour of wine is one of the key indicators of its quality. The influence of impulse electric field PEF on grapes, which will be used for wine production, is still a novel issue on a global scale. Grapes (Marechal Foch variety) were subjected to a pulsed electric field for 10 s, at a frequency of 20 pulses per second and two values of electric field strength of 3.3 kV/cm and 5 kV/cm, followed by fermentation in accordance with the procedures used in the wine industry. In the produced wines, the colour was determined using the CIELab method, obtaining L, * a, * b values, which are the axes of a three-dimensional colour space. It has been shown that the pulsed electric field PEF has a positive effect on the colour of red wine. The share of red parameter (*a) in wines (WMF 2, WMF 3) is respectively higher by 15% and 24% in relation to wine produced in typical conditions without additional pretreatment (WMF 1). The obtained results indicate a higher productivity of extraction of colour compounds from grapes under the influence of PEF. This is beneficial because the more intense wine colour correlates with the higher content of coloured antioxidant pro-health compounds.