An Australian research team from the University of Adelaide has reportedly developed a nanotechnology method to remove off-flavors in wine such as cork or green flavors. Last year, the scientists already developed polymer structures to which magnetically acting nanoparticles adhere. This would have enabled them to remove the methoxypyrazines responsible for green-grassy aromas from Cabernet Sauvignon without leaving any residues. The magnetic nanoparticles would only have had to remain in the wine for ten minutes to remove the green aromas. Using a magnet, the MNP (magnetic nanoparticles) could then have been separated from the wine without residue.
Previously, the team led by Dr. Agnieszka Mierczynska-Vasilev from the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) had used the same method to remove turbidity from red wine. Now the research team wants to test their method with larger quantities of wine. The method is safe, does not affect other aromas and does not affect proteins or phenols. This would enable the quality of wine and other foods to be controlled and influenced at the molecular level in the future, the scientists wrote.
(uka)