Processing of Red Wine by Pulsed Electric Fields with Respect to Quality Parameters

Processing of red wine by pulsed electric fields (PEFs) with determination of physical, chemical and sensory properties as well as inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Candida lipolytica, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Hansenula anomala revealed that increased electric field strength and treatment temperature did not cause significant difference on measured attributes (P > 0.05); however, initial number of inoculated microorganisms significantly decreased (P ≤ 0.05). Response surface methodology was used to design the experiments, and a central composite design with quadratic model fitted to explain microbial inactivation. It is concluded that processing of red wine with no significant changes and microbial stability can be ensured with PEF treatment. Practical Applications It was revealed that sulfur dioxide used in vineries to stop the fermentation and eliminate growth of wild yeasts may cause allergic reactions, asthma and headache, and thus it is recommended that sulfur dioxide dose needs to be decreased. Alternative methods such as pulsed electric fields (PEFs) are in search to examine the potential applications in wine-making industry. It was shown by this study that PEF has a potential to process red wine without adversely affecting important properties.