RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOAM CHARACTERISTICS AND CHEMICAL-COMPOSITION INWINES AND CAVAS (SPARKLING WINES)

The Bikerman method for evaluation of foam characteristics was adapted to wines. The parameters determined were foam height and stability. T he method was applied to wines, to cavas (Spanish sparkling wines), an d to samples taken during a cava production process. In order to ascer tain which compounds affect the foaming properties of wine, the chemic al properties (global composition, nitrogen compounds, neutral sugars of the polysaccharides, volatile compounds, free fatty acids, and tota l fatty acids) were determined. To determine the relationship between chemical composition and foaming characteristics of the wines and cava s, multivariate analysis techniques of canonical correlation analysis and partial least squares regression were applied. In the wines, foam height was positively related to the concentration of tartaric acid an d glucose and negatively related to the concentration of protein. Foam stability was positively related to the total content of linolenic ac id. In the cavas, foam height was positively related to the total cont ent of palmitic acid. Foam stability was positively related to the con centration of proteins, gamma-butyrolactone and xylose in polysacchari des, and negatively related to the total content of SO2.