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Wines, aromas and quality factors

Wines, aromas and quality factors
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The main objective of the Wines, aromas and quality factors group is the study of sensory attributes and compounds with organoleptic attributes of foods and beverages.

Our research group of wines, aromas and quality factors started its research in the world of wine and cava, studying the bottling of sparkling wines taking into account their quality, safety, organoleptic and technological characteristics. In addition to continuing working in this area, research has been extended in the study of the reprocessing of by-products such as cava lees, as a promoter of fermentation processes in the food industry (sourdough, bread, meat products). This new ingredient has shown efficacy increasing the microbial diversity and viability in lactic fermentations, the aromatic profile as well as it has shown efficacy inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms such as Listeria spp. Work has also been carried out on the in vivo prebiotic profile of the mares of cava and on obtaining volatilomic profiles of biological samples, food and fermentation processes.

Elvira López Tamames
Investigador principal
Elvira López Tamames

Dr. Elvira López Tamames has been a full professor since 1997 in the Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Gastronomy at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science. She has been a member of the research group Wine, aromas and quality factors of foods and beverages since 1993 and is currently a member of the group Components bioactius dels aliments (2021 SGR 00861). She is the author of numerous publications (more than 60 in the JCR) related to the quality of wines and wineries, her current research is focused on the research of food quality markers, predicting organoleptic properties from physico-chemical characteristics and obtaining bioactive compounds from food industry by-products. She currently has 4 recognized research projects. She has also participated in more than 50 national and international conferences.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2198-518X
Equip
Línies de recerca
  • Valorization of winemaking residues

    The research group has focused its studies on the valorization of by-products or wastes from the food industry with the aim of reducing environmental pollution, reducing business costs and improving the quality of other foods, obtaining new antioxidant and aromatic ingredients. In the last few years, a line of valorization of the cava lees as a source of bioactive compounds has been developed, mainly focused on the use of these lees as a fermentation accelerator in different fermented foods. Specifically, cava mares have been reused as promoters in the fermentation of dough and bread, and raw-cured meat derivatives that, with the addition of these inactive lead cells, are safer against pathogenic bacteria and allow a formulation with less nitrated salt.

  • Characterization of sensory attributes and compounds determining organoleptic quality.

    The group has acquired experience in the chemical and sensory analysis of aromas and other components related to the organoleptic quality of different foods: wines, gins, smells, fruit juices, waters, bread and meat derivatives. The knowledge of the etiology of aromas, as well as the factors that can modify them, allow us to design strategies to conserve the organoleptic characteristics (aroma and color) and even to enhance them, through the use of natural compounds such as glutathione, peptides, polyphenols, nucleotides, etc. In this sense, studies are carried out in order to detect indicators of quality and authenticity of shelf life of different foods and beverages.

  • Effect of Cava lees as promoters of the alcoholic and lactic fermentation of bread dough and raw-cured meat products.

    The role of inactive and/or spent grape lees as a promoter of alcoholic and lactic fermentation of different fermented foods.

    • Different formulations have been studied with Cava lees in bulk by determining the metabolic profiles and the growth and survival kinetics of the microorganisms responsible for fermentation: the role that the proteomannans and glucans of the cellular partitions play in the fermentative kinetics, the decrease of the pH faster as a consequence of the formation of organic acids and the improvement of the synthesis of favorable volatile compounds in the organoleptic profile of the bread, such as esters, alcohols or aldehydes, is confirmed; when evaluated by sensory analysis with tasters, they prefer cava-marinated breads, especially with regard to the aroma of the product. The growing consumer demand for more natural, healthy, sustainable and green-labeled products has increased the use of massa mare for the elaboration of bread in recent years. In addition to the artisanal component, the production of breads with massa mare gives rise to products with a better sensory quality and a longer shelf life due to a higher acidification (pH<4.8). However, the risk of fraud and the risk of the consumer to receive bread not elaborated with authentic seawater is high. That is why it could be interesting to develop an intelligent packaging that allows the identification of those breads marketed as bread made from seawater or those that are not.
    • Regarding the maturation or fermentation of meat products derived from cured longanisses, the formulation methodology with inactive meat products and the fermentative metabolic characterization also opens promising expectations with respect to the organoleptic and hygienic properties of these foods: it has been observed that the use of these types of by-products decreases the growth of pathogens such as Lysteria monocytogenesis and Salmonella as a consequence of the enhancement of a favorable lactic microbiota.
  • Characterization and prebiotic effect of the cava lees

    In order to reuse cava lees as a vehicle for bioactive compounds and for its role as a fermentation promoter, the acute safety has been evaluated through ‘in vivo’ studies with experimental animals. The by-product of Cava production is shown to be a safe ingredient (no adverse effects were observed and the observational parameters as well as the main biochemical or physiological parameters are adequate). In addition, these studies allow us to confirm the prebiotic role of Saccharomyces cereviasiae by means of metabolic studies of the colonic microbiota of fed vs. control rats; differences between the two groups have been observed both in the increase of probiotic bacteria and in the decrease of pathogens of the family such as Clostridiaceae or Lachnospiraceae.

  • Obtaining of volatilomic profiles of food, fermentation processes and colonic microbiome.

    The group is expert in obtaining different profiles of volatile compounds in different materials, both alimentary (food and beverages) and biological. In this sense, the profile of short-chain fatty acids and other metabolites has been characterized in biological samples such as stool in patients with histamine intolerance and urine.

Alba Martín-Garcia, Montserrat Riu-Aumatell & Elvira López-Tamames

Influence of Process Parameters on Sourdough Microbiota, Physical Properties and Sensory Profile

Food Reviews International, 39:1, 334-348 (2023); DOI: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/87559129.2021.1906698

Alba Martín-Garcia, Comas, Basté, O.; Montserrat Riu-Aumatell; Mari Luz Latorre-Moratalla; Elvira López-Tamames

Changes in the volatile profile of wheat sourdough produced with the addition of cava lees

Molecules, 27, 3588 (2022); DOI: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/11/3588

Alba Martín-Garcia, Montserrat Riu-Aumatell & Elvira López-Tamames

Revalorization of Cava (Spanish Sparkling wine) lees on sourdough fermentation

Fermentation, 8, 133 (2022); DOI: https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/8/3/133

Alba Martín-Garcia, Javier González-Linares; Montserrat Riu-Aumatell & Elvira López-Tamames

Potential effect of cava lees: changes in gut microbiota

Fermentation, 8, 657 (2022); DOI: https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/8/11/657

Hernández-Macias, S.; Martín-Garcia, A.; Ferrer-Bustins, N.; Comas-Basté, O.; Riu-Aumatell, M.; López-Tamames, E.; Jofré, A.; Latorre-Moratalla, M.L.; Bover-Cid, S.; Vidal-Carou, M.C.

Inhibition of Biogenic Amines formation in fermented foods by the addition of Cava lees

Frontiers in Microbiology, 12, 818565 (2022); DOI: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.818565/full

Martín-Garcia, A.; Abarca-Rivas, C.; Riu-Aumatell, M.; López-Tamames, E.

Comparison of volatile compounds during biological ageing and commercial storage of Cava (Spanish sparkling wine): The role of lees

Helyion, 9 (8), e19306 (2023); DOI: https://www.cell.com/heliyon/pdf/S2405-8440(23)06514-3.pdf

Martín-Garcia, A.; Riu-Aumatell, M.; López-Tamames, E.

By-product revalorization: cava lees can improve the fermentation process and change the volatile profile of bread

Foods, 11, 1361 (2022); DOI: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/9/1361

Susana Buxaderas, Montserrat Riu-Aumatell, Elvira López-Tamames

Chapter 23: Managing the quality of Sparkling wines. In Managing Wine Quality

In, ed. Reynolds, A.G. Woodhead Publishing Limited, 2021; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102065-4.00005-5

Freixenet S.A.

Jordi Torrens

Col·lectiu Eixarcolant

Marc Talavera

Università degli study di Modena-Reggio Emilia (Italia)

Sergio Galassi

Ecole Supèrieure d’agricultures Angers Loire. Unité de Recherche USC GRAPPE

Pierre Louis Teissedre, Michel Jourdes

IRTA- Institut de recerca en tecnologia agroalimentaria

Massimo Castellari

Estudi de paràmetres que determinen la qualitat dels vins espumosos i la seva relació amb l'enfosquiment

Per la industria vitivinícola és important disposar de paràmetres que permetin estandarditzar la qualitat dels seus productes. En aquest sentit la vista i per tan, les característiques que percebem amb la vista en un vi, son fonamentals per l’acceptació o rebuig per part del consumidor. I l’estabilitat del color és un dels grans reptes de les bodegues. Així doncs l’objectiu de la tesi va ser avaluar el paper de les mares i trobar marcadors bioquímics relacionats amb l’enfosquiment que poguessin ser útils per predir la seva vida útil mitjançant la creació de models matemàtics.

2014

Caracterización de lías recuperadas de vinos espumosos

Les lies de segona fermentació son el residu que queda després de la fermentació i estan compostes majoritàriament per cèl·lules plasmolitzades de llevat Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a més de altres compostos com fenols, aromes, nucleòtids, etc.  Aquestes restes tenen components importants que poden ser revaloritzats a la industria alimentària, però alhora es sospita del paper protector que fan durant l’envelliment dels vins espumosos. L’objectiu de la tesi va ser la caracterització de les mares de segona fermentació i avaluar el seu rol en la criança dels caves especialment aquells de llarga criança (reserva i gran reserva).

2016

Revalorització de les lies del cava com a nova estratègia de formulació per a aliments fermentats

La indústria alimentària genera una gran quantitat de residus durant la producció d’aliments, entre els que s’hi troba el vi escumós, com és el Cava. De cada 100 kg de raïm que entra en un celler, es generen 25 kg de residu, on el 25% són lies. Les lies són els llevats naturalment plasmolitzats durant la criança en ampolla del Cava que, tot i ser rics en polisacàrids, fibra i proteïnes, no tenen cap ús, pel que necessiten esser gestionats, el que comporta un cost econòmic i mediambiental. Per aquest motiu, la tendència dels últims anys és la de re-introduir-los en la mesura del possible, a la cadena de producció, passant d’una economia lineal a una de circular. Per tot això, l’objectiu principal d’aquesta tesi és la valorització de les lies del Cava com a ingredient per afavorir el procés de fermentació de la massa mare i el pa, i avaluar-ne la capacitat prebiòtica. En concret, s’han avaluat tres àmbits relacionats amb les lies del Cava: I) la valoració in vivo de la seguretat alimentària i de les lies i el seu efecte sobre la microbiota intestinal en model animal; II) la caracterització de les lies des d’un punt de vista organolèptic; i III) l’avaluació de l’efecte sobre la fermentació i la fracció volàtil de la massa mare i el pa.

2022