Compositional changes during the storage of red wines treated with pectolytic enzymes: low molecular-weight phenols and flavan-3-ol derivative levels

The present work studies the effects of the addition of several commercial pectolytic enzyme products on the phenolic composition of red wine. Low-molecular-weight phenols and flavan-3-ol derivatives were studied. The results revealed that the addition of enzymes produced an overall increase in the extraction of these compounds. However, in the case of flavan-3-ol derivatives, extraction was increased only when sufficient time was allowed for maceration. Study of the evolution of the contents of these compounds over time suggested that, in general, wines that initially contain higher amounts of phenolic compounds are able to maintain higher levels of these compounds during storage.