4. Conclusions

Optimised cork powder can be a new, cheap, sustainable and efficient fining agent for removal of VPs from wines presenting the unpleasant "Brett character". Its efficiency is shown by the capacity to adsorb significant amounts of 4-EP and 4-EG from a real red wine matrix, presenting a lower impact on the headspace positive aroma compounds when compared to other oenological solutions, already tested. The low impact on the phenolic composition of wines, especially on the monomeric anthocyanins, makes its impact on wine colour limited. Contaminated wines treated with optimised cork powder (extractive free and solvent impregnation) show a significant decrease of the negative phenolic attribute and a significant increase in the positive sensory fruity and floral attributes. This natural product can, in the near future, represent a new oenological fining solution with low environmental impact, contributing to a more sustainable wine industry.

## Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Aveleda SA for supplying wine, SAI Enology for providing CKP samples and Lisete Fernandes for the SEM images We appreciate the financial support provided to CQ-VR (PEst-OE/QUI/UI0616/2014) by FCT and COMPETE.

Author details

Vila Real, Portugal

245

Luís Filipe da Mota Ribeiro1,2\*, Maria Fernanda Gil Cosme Martins2 and

1 Chemistry Research Centre—Vila Real, (CQ-VR), Food and Wine Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro,

Air Depleted and Solvent Impregnated Cork Powder as a New Natural and Sustainable Wine…

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85691

2 Chemistry Research Centre—Vila Real, (CQ-VR), Food and Wine Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Biology and Environment, University of Trás-os-

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

Fernando Hermínio Ferreira Milheiro Nunes<sup>1</sup>

Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

provided the original work is properly cited.

\*Address all correspondence to: fmota@utad.pt

### Conflict of interest

No conflict of interest.

Air Depleted and Solvent Impregnated Cork Powder as a New Natural and Sustainable Wine… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85691
