Chain-breaking and oxygen scavenging properties of wine as affected by some technological procedures

The chain-breaking and the oxygen scavenging properties of red and white wi nes as a consequence of some technological procedures were evaluated. Pheno ls in white wine samples showed an antioxidant power similar to those found in red wine despite their lower concentration. The addition of sulphur dio xide to wine and to a simple model system simulating wine, did not affect t he chain-breaking capacity of the samples but greatly enhanced their oxygen consumption activity. The progressive polymerisation of phenols upon agein g was associated with a decrease in the antioxidant properties of wine, whi lst the development of nonenzymatic browning reactions, as occurs in the pr oduction of Marsala-type wines, resulted in a great increase in its chain-b reaking activity. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of t he Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology. All rights reserved.