Vine Shoots Research Articles

Bioactive Compounds from Vine Shoots, Grape Stalks, and Wine Lees: Their Potential Use in Agro-Food Chains.

The winemaking sector is one of the most productive worldwide, and thus it also generates large amounts of by-products with high environmental impacts. Furthermore, global market trends and government regulations promote industrial alternatives based on sustainable production processes. As a result, several studies have focused their attention on the reuse of grape by-products in the agro-food chain. Vine shoots, grape stalks, and wine lees, although produced to a lesser extent than grape pomace, have increasingly been receiving attention for their applications in the food sector, since they are a good source of functional and bioactive compounds. In this framework, our review highlights the promising results obtained by exploiting the antioxidant and/or antimicrobial activity of vine shoots, grape stalks, and wine lees or their extracts to replace the most common oenological additives and to assay the activity against food pathogens. Further, innovative functional foods and sustainable food packaging have been formulated by taking advantage of polyphenols and fiber, as well as plant bio-stimulants, in order to obtain grapes and wines with high quality characteristics. Overall, these by-products showed the potential to be recycled into the food chain as functional additives for different products and applications, supporting the sustainability of the winemaking sector.

Assessing the Importance of Pyrolysis Process Conditions and Feedstock Type on the Combustion Performance of Agricultural-Residue-Derived Chars.

The combustion performance of chars derived from vine shoots, wheat straw, and corn stover was investigated to assess the influence of both the biomass precursor and pyrolysis operating conditions. Chars were produced through slow pyrolysis at different peak temperatures (350 and 500 °C), pressures (0.1 and 0.5 MPa), and residence times of the vapor phase (50 and 150 s). From the thermogravimetric curves obtained under air, the combustion performance index (S) was calculated for each char. Apparent kinetics were also estimated using the Coats–Redfern method and assuming an F3/2 reaction model. Results show that the combustion patterns of chars were more influenced by the type of feedstock than by the pyrolysis conditions. Corn stover appeared to be the most interesting feedstock in order to produce chars with tuned reactivity. Results from partial least-squares (PLS) regression revealed that the most important factors affecting S were the contents of potassium (negative effect) and cellulose (positive effect) in the original biomass.

Application of a completely organic and bio-degradable sugar-based insulating coating to vine shoots, to prevent late frost damages

An innovative method against late frosts in vineyard has been developed at CIRIAF, University of Perugia. It consists of an organic coating made by cotton candy and straw to prevent the vine shoots freezing due to late frosts. This technique has already tested at lab-scale with very encouraging results. This paper aims to experiment the effect of the organic coating applied on young shoots of grapevine during artificially controlled frost events. A vine shoot covered by the organic coating was positioned in the climatic chamber and a thermocouple was rolled up to the vine shoot to control its temperature. Also, a vine shoot rolled up to the thermocouple and without organic coating was positioned inside the climatic chamber, used as a reference case. Results show that the temperature gap, gained with the adoption of the insulating layer was approximately in the range 0.2 – 3.2 °C, but the organic coating was not enough to maintain temperature above the ice-point able to prevent the vine shoot freezing in lab. Even thought, the experimental application of the present technique allowed to detect some crucial challenges which need to be solved before to test this technology in real situations.

Influence of the heating mechanism during the aqueous processing of vine shoots for the obtaining of hemicellulosic oligosaccharides

This work deals with the revalorization of an important winery residue such as the vine shoots by the obtaining of oligosaccharides with potential prebiotic activity. The manufacture of these added-value products was performed by an autohydrolysis treatment assisted with microwaves to make the process less time consuming and more environmentally friendly. The influence of the reaction time (0–40 min) and the temperature (140–200) on the production of oligosaccharides during the microwave-assisted autohydrolysis was evaluated. The highest concentration of oligosaccharides (168.3 g/Kg oven-dried vines shoots) was achieved during the treatment carried out at 180 °C for 20 min. To assess the benefits of the assistance of the autohydrolysis treatment with the microwaves a conventionally heated treatment was performed using conditions (180 °C for 15 min) that provoked similar effects on the solubilisation of the hemicellulosic fraction. This treatment permitted the obtaining of 203.5 g oligosaccharides/Kg oven-dried vines shoots using 61.0% more of the time needed to carry out the microwaves-assisted autohydrolysis. Although the microwave-assisted treatment permitted the manufacture of a lower amount of oligosaccharides, only consumed 28.8% of the energy needed to perform the conventionally heated treatment. The oligosaccharides manufactured by the two treatments were substituted xyloglucans with different polymerization and acetylation degrees, which due to their potential prebiotic activity could be highly appreciated by pharmaceuticals and food industries. Thus, this work demonstrated the environmental sustainability of the microwave-assisted autohydrolysis for the revalorisation of the vine shoots.

Sustainable Biomass Pellets Production Using Vineyard Wastes

Vineyards waste has a great importance as biomass, a renewable source of energy. In this paper eight vine shoot varieties were used for the production of pellets by densification of feedstock materials with four ranges of moisture contents (6–8%, 8–10%, 10–12% and 12–15%). A moisture content of 10% gave durability higher than 97.5% and a calorific value greater than 17 MJ kg−1 and the small durability was obtained for 6–8% moisture. The study shows the significant influence of water during densification. The physicochemical and energetic properties of pellets were evaluated in accordance with ISO 17225-6 (2014). The obtained pellets were also structurally characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). SEM analysis showed the formation of carbon microsphere after pelletization, due to the increase of bulk density and durability of pellets. Also, XRD analysis revealed the crystallinity of cellulose, while TGA analysis showed a total decomposition of pellets. The obtained pellets were burned in a domestic boiler and the flue gases were measured. The preliminary results showed that the vineyard residues had higher emissions, but below the admitted limits, with the exception of carbon monoxide content. The obtained results suggested that the biomass wastes can be used for the production of pellets, aiming to enhance the research for the manufacturing of these sustainable biofuels with some remarks regarding risk of corrosion and slag formation during prolonged use.

Using life cycle assessment to quantify the environmental benefit of upcycling vine shoots as fillers in biocomposite packaging materials

PurposeThe objective of the present study was to better understand the potential environmental benefit of using vine shoots (ViShs), an agricultural residue, as filler in composite materials. For that purpose, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of a rigid tray made of virgin poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) PHBV, polylactic acid (PLA) or polypropylene (PP), and increasing content of ViSh particles was performed. The contribution of each processing step in the life cycle on the different environmental impacts was identified and discussed. Furthermore, the balance between the environmental and the economic benefits of composite trays was discussed.MethodsThis work presents a cradle-to-grave LCA of composite rigid trays. Once collected in vineyards, ViShs were dried and ground using dry fractionation processes, then mixed with a polymer matrix by melt extrusion to produce compounds that were finally injected to obtain rigid trays for food packaging. The density of each component was taken into account in order to compare trays with the same volume. The maximum filler content was set to 30 vol% according to recommendations from literature and industrial data. The ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint Hierarchist (H) methodology was used for the assessment using the cutoff system model.Results and discussionThis study showed that bioplastics are currently less eco-friendly than PP. This is in part due to the fact that LCA does not account for, in existing tools, effects of microplastic accumulation and that bioplastic technologies are still under development with low tonnage. This study also demonstrated the environmental interest of the development of biocomposites by the incorporation of ViSh particles. The minimal filler content of interest depended on the matrices and the impact categories. Concerning global warming, composite trays had less impact than virgin plastic trays from 5 vol% for PHBV or PLA and from 20 vol% for PP. Concerning PHBV, the only biodegradable polymer in natural conditions in this study, the price and the impact on global warming are reduced by 25% and 20% respectively when 30 vol% of ViSh are added.ConclusionThe benefit of using vine shoots in composite materials from an environmental and economical point of view was demonstrated. As a recommendation, the polymer production step, which constitutes the most important impact, should be optimized and the maximum filler content in composite materials should be increased.

Functionalized biochars as supports for Pd/C catalysts for efficient hydrogen production from formic acid

Biomass waste product was used to generate biochars as catalytic supports for selective hydrogen production from formic acid. The supports were obtained after pyrolysis in CO2 atmosphere of non-pretreated and chemically ZnCl2 activated raw materials (vine shoot and crystalline cellulose). The support series includes materials with different textural properties and surface chemistry. The support nature and especially textural properties firstly affects significantly Pd size and dispersion and its interaction with the support and secondly influence in a great extent the catalytic behavior of the final material. The presence of prevailing mesoporous character appeared to be the most important parameter influencing formic acid dehydrogenation and overall hydrogen production.

Upcycling of Vine Shoots: Production of Fillers for PHBV-Based Biocomposite Applications

This paper aims at investigating the potential of vine shoots (ViSh) upcycling as fillers in novel poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) based biocomposites. ViSh particles of around 50 µm (apparent median diameter) were obtained combining dry grinding processes, and mixed with PHBV using melt extrusion. Thermal stability and elongation at break of biocomposites were reduced with increasing contents of ViSh particles (10, 20 and 30 wt%), while Young’s modulus and water vapor permeability were increased. It was shown that a surface gas-phase esterification allowed to significantly increase the hydrophobicity of ViSh particles (increase of water contact angles from 59° to 114°), leading to a reduction of 27% in the water vapor permeability of the biocomposite filled with 30 wt% of ViSh. The overall mechanical performance was not impacted by gas-phase esterification, demonstrating that the interfacial adhesion between the virgin ViSh particles and the PHBV matrix was already good and that such filler surface treatment was not required in that case. It was concluded that ViSh particles can be interestingly used as low cost fillers in PHBV-based biocomposites to decrease the overall cost of materials.

Statistical approach to evaluate effect of temperature and moisture content on the production of antioxidant naphtho-gamma-pyrones and hydroxycinnamic acids by Aspergillus tubingensis in solid-state fermentation.

Non-ochratoxigenic Aspergillus tubingensis G131 is a filamentous fungus that can produce naphtho-gamma-pyrones (NγPs), polyketide pigments that exhibit interesting antioxidant properties. This study aims to investigate the effect of two critical parameters, temperature and moisture content on the fungus grown in solid-state fermentation using agricultural by-products (vine shoots and wheat bran) as sole medium. From the kinetic productions of secondary metabolites NγPs (asperpyrone E, dianhydroaurasperone C, fonsecin, fonsecin B and ustilaginoidin A), alkaloids (nigragilin and aspernigrin A), degradation products from the solid medium (β-D-glucose, p-coumaric acid and trans-ethyl ferulate), ergosterol and conidia obtained for different temperatures and moisture contents, a principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out to highlight the production patterns of these compounds. This approach allowed us to determine that fonsecin, the compound of higher interest-exhibiting the most interesting antiradical potential-is particularly more produced at 25°C and 66% of moisture content. This study underlines the importance of temperature and moisture content on naphtho-gamma-pyrones and hydroxycinnamic acid production using solid-state fermentation and contributes to the development of agroindustrial by-product valorization.

Waste biomass of wine industry: a potential application of unbleached fibers produced by green approach

Several agricultural wastes, such as the residues of the winemaking industry, have been tested using traditional chemical methods of pulping aimed to obtain bleached pulp, but only low yields and poor fiber quality have been achieved so far. In this work, we evaluate a two-stage chemi-thermomechanical pulping (CTMP) to assess the feasibility to add value to the residues of the wine industry (grape stalks and vine shoots) by obtaining fibers with papermaking and/or cardboard quality. The first stage of the process evaluates different conditions with low chemical charges of Na2SO3 and/or NaOH (3 to 5% on wood basis) at different temperatures (130 to 160 °C) for 60 min. The second stage consists of a mechanical refining that converts fiber bundles and shives into pulps. CTMP pulping performed with 5% Na2SO3 at 160 °C from grape stalks and vine shoots showed the best combination of fiber quality regarding higher screened pulp yield, lower rejects and fines content, and adequate drainability. Results showed that pulp from waste lignocellulosic of the winery industry can be produced by a green approach (low chemical charge and severity in CTMP pulping) and became an alternative for paper, packaging, fiber additives, or new biobased materials.

Positive/Negative Phototropism: Controllable Molecular Actuators with Different Bending Behavior

Herein, a series of molecular actuators based on the crystals of (E)-2-(4-fluorostyryl)benzo[d]oxazole (BOAF4), (E)-2-(2,4-difluorostyryl)benzo[d]oxazole (BOAF24), (E)-2-(4-fluorostyryl)benzo[d]thi...

Development and Evaluation of a Disposable Solid-State Culture Packed-Bed Bioreactor for the Production of Conidia from Trichoderma asperellum Grown Under Water Stress

A new prototype of a disposable solid-state culture bioreactor (DSSCB) belonging to the packed-bed category is developed for the production of fungal conidia. The bioreactor has the advantages of being autoclavable, lightweight and disposable. With a working volume of 39.52 L, it can be used for large-scale production of fungal conidia. The DSSCB was successfully tested under forced aeration for the production of conidia (2.1 × 1010/g dry substrate in 140 h) from Trichoderma asperellum, a biocontrol fungus. A mixture of sugarcane bagasse, wheat bran, olive pomace, potato flakes and vine shoots was used as substrate. The DSSCB allowed an overall production of 1.26 × 1014 conidia. Based on its configuration, the fermented substrate can be easily transported and used in either solid or liquid form, for biocontrol application. This is a significant advance in the field of biomass production in solid-state culture as problems associated with the decontamination of the bioreactor prior to its reuse can be avoided. The study demonstrated that the DSSCB is suitable for the production of conidia using T. asperellum.

Insulating Organic Material as a Protection System against Late Frost Damages on the Vine Shoots

Late frosts are one of the major impact factors on agriculture worldwide with large economic losses for agricultural crops, with a significant impact also in wine production. Given the importance of the wine sector in the world, more and more efforts are being made to identify innovative techniques capable of creating a low-cost and effective protection for vine shoots, as well as reducing energy consumption. In a previous work, cotton candy was identified as an insulating material to solve the problems related to late frosts on vineyards and limit its damages as much as possible. From the results of the previous research, it has proved that cotton candy is an excellent thermal insulator, but it degrades quickly in windy conditions. Thus, climatic tests carried out in windy condition showed that straw can greatly slow down the degradation of cotton candy over time, giving an indirect contribution to the protective effectiveness of cotton candy. In addition, several tests were conducted with different amounts of sugar and straw without wind to evaluate whether the straw can itself make a contribution in terms of thermal insulation, as well as contribute to the protective effectiveness of cotton candy, minimizing energy use as well.

Eco-Conversion of Two Winery Lignocellulosic Wastes into Fillers for Biocomposites: Vine Shoots and Wine Pomaces.

Two winery residues, namely vine shoots (ViSh) and wine pomace (WiPo), were up-cycled as fillers in PHBV-based biocomposites. Answering a biorefinery approach, the impact of a preliminary polyphenols extraction step using an acetone/water mixture on the reinforcing effect of fillers was assessed. Biocomposites (filler content up to 20 wt%) were prepared by melt-mixing and compared in terms of final performance (thermal, mechanical and barrier). It was shown that the reinforcing effect was slightly better in the case of vine shoots, while it was not significantly affected by the pre-treatment, demonstrating that these two winery residues could be perfectly used as fillers in composite materials even after an extraction process to maximize their potential of valorization.

Polyphenolic composition of extracts from winery by-products and effects on cellular cytotoxicity and mitochondrial functions in HepG2 cells

Winery by-products arise in high amounts during winemaking processes. Hence, recovery alternatives are of great interest. In this study, effects of extracts from winery by-products (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Riesling) on mitochondrial functions in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells were examined. Polyphenolic profiles of pomace (PE), stem (SE), vine leaf (VLE), and vine shoot extracts (VSE) were characterized by HPLC-UV/Vis-ESI-MS/MS. The extracts induced dose-dependent cytotoxic effects (PE > SE > VLE > VSE). VSE showed protective effects regarding modulation of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBH)-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. PE, SE and VLE increased the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), whereas VSE decreased it owing to mildly impaired mitochondrial respiration. Cells may try to compensate reduced respiration chain complex activities by increasing the mitochondrial mass, as indicated by enhanced citrate synthase activity and mRNA expression levels after VSE incubation. Thus, winery by-products represent interesting sources of bioactive compounds that exert positive or negative effects on mitochondrial functions.

Eco-friendly vermitechnological winery waste management: a pilot-scale study

Enormous quantities of winery wastes are generated in grape-growing regions around the world. The aim of this study was to gather key pilot-scale data on the use of different winery wastes in a vermitechnological system to produce commercially viable soil organic amendments. Exhausted grape marc (G), lees cake mixed with exhausted grape marc (LG), and biosolid vinasse mixed with vine shoots (SV) were tested as substrates for vermicomposting. Changes in earthworm development, enzyme activities, chemical properties, organic matter fractions, and phytotoxicity were assessed along 6 months of vermicomposting and after a subsequent maturation period of 2 months. The organic matter composition of the three produced vermicomposts was also characterized using pyrolysis-gas chromatography (Py-GC). During vermicomposting, earthworm number increased significantly in both LG and SV, with earthworm biomass peaking after 2 months. By contrast, G failed to provide adequate nourishment for earthworms. Dehydrogenase and hydrolytic enzyme activities peaked after 2 months and then declined as available organic compounds diminished. Overall, hydrolytic enzyme activities tended to stabilize during maturation. After vermicomposting and maturation, total organic carbon, soluble carbon, phytotoxicity, electrical conductivity, C/N ratios, and polyphenol content decreased, whereas pH, phosphorus, micronutrients, and humification ratios increased. Using Py-GC, the vermicompost from SV was found to contain the most evolved organic matter in view of its higher degree of humification and lower mineralization index. Nevertheless, all the different winery wastes could be biotransformed, by using vermitechnology, into high value-added soil organic amendments with a degree of stability and maturity adequate to be marketed.

ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF SULFUR DIOXIDE USED IN WINE PRODUCTION

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is the most common additive used in winemaking for many years. This compound is important for wine producers and consumers due to its antiseptic and antioxidant properties. However, excessive sulfites caused some symptoms such as a headache, nausea, stomach irritation and respiratory distress in asthmatic patients. Additionally, excessive SO2 in winemaking process leads to organoleptic changes of final product. For these reasons, the maximum SO2 concentrations allowed in wines were gradually reduced. In the wine industry it is essential to reduce or even eliminate SO2 especially in the production of organic wines. These obstacles lead to requirements of new healthier and safety strategies for reduction of SO2. Up to know have been discussed the priorities of SO2 used in wine making. Recently some authors evaluated studies with chemical and non-thermal alternatives of SO2. Some other authors reviewed the side effects of SO2 used in wines, but none of them have comprised the effects of new techniques in grape, must, wine and pomace. This review discussed effects of different alternatives (thermal, non-thermal, chemical and natural additives) techniques demonstrated in grape, must, wine and pomace as possible alternative to SO2 in comprehensive manner. The antioxidant, antimicrobial and sensory properties of tannin, oak and vine shoot extracts are also discussed as new alternatives of SO2. The studies demonstrated that SO2 could be lowered and even changed by using the development of new methods.

Conversion of vine shoots into bioethanol and chemicals: Prospective LCA of biorefinery concept

Vine shoots are the viticulture residues generated in high quantities after the grapevine pruning. They are lignocellulosic material poorly exploited as feedstock. These wastes are often dumped in the agriculture fields or burnt. Due to their availability and relatively low price, vine shoots are considered as potential feedstock for biochemical conversion into value-added products. In this work, two biorefinery scenarios using vine shoots as feedstock to co-produce chemicals are assessed from an environmental point of view: production of lactic acid, and co-production of lactic acid and furfural. A CHP area was considered to be annexed to the plants to produce heat and electricity for internal use. The Aspen Plus and SimaPro commercial software were used to perform the LCA of the selected scenarios. The assessed scenarios demonstrate significant reductions in climate change, fossil fuel depletion, freshwater ecotoxicity and eutrophication and human toxicity impacts compared to their counterfactual systems.

Effects of Biochar Application in a Sorghum Crop under Greenhouse Conditions: Growth Parameters and Physicochemical Fertility

Application of biochar from vine shoots (Vitis vinifera L.) as an organic amendment in the soil is an alternative agricultural management of interest. The behavior of this type of amendment in the soil requires more information to adjust the pyrolysis conditions in order to obtain a high-quality biochar. The aim of this work is determining the influence of the application of this type of biochar on the soil-plant system. For this purpose, an agronomic test was performed in greenhouse pots. A randomized tri-factorial block design was adopted with the following factors: final pyrolysis temperature (400 and 600 °C), application rate (0 wt. % as a control, 1.5 and 3 wt. %) and texture of the growing media (sandy-loam and clay-loam origin). The selected crop was sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), the development and production of which was evaluated during two complete growing cycles under greenhouse conditions. Application of biochar produced at 400 °C significantly increased plants roots dry weight in the sandy-loam growing substrate (52% compared to the control). Grain production was also significantly affected by biochar application, showing better results after addition of biochar produced at 400 °C. Water holding capacity and K, Ca, and Mg contents were enhanced by biochar addition, with evident effects of the application ratios for some of these variables. The effect on the pH of substrates in the sandy-loam texture was weak; however, a significant decrease was observed after the addition of biochar produced at 600 °C.

How Vine Shoots as Fillers Impact the Biodegradation of PHBV-Based Composites.

Vine shoots are lignocellulosic agricultural residues. In addition to being an interesting source of polyphenols, they can be used as fillers in a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) matrix to decrease the overall cost and to propose an alternative to non-biodegradable fossil-based materials. The objective of the present work was to investigate how the incorporation of vine shoots fillers and a preliminary polyphenol extraction step could impact the biodegradability of biocomposites. Biocomposites (20 wt %) were produced by microcompounding. The biodegradation of materials was assessed by respirometric tests in soil. The negative impact of polyphenols on the biodegradability of vine shoots was confirmed. This was supported by crystallinity measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations, which showed no difference in structure nor morphology between virgin and exhausted vine shoots particles. The incorporation of vine shoots fillers in PHBV slightly accelerated the overall biodegradation kinetics. All the biocomposites produced were considered fully biodegradable according to the French and European standard NF EN 17033, allowing the conclusion that up-cycling vine shoots for the production of lignocellulosic fillers is a promising strategy to provide biodegradable materials in natural conditions. Moreover, in a biorefinery context, polyphenol extraction from vine shoots has the advantage of improving their biodegradability.