Pathogenesis-related proteins in wine and white wine protein stabilization

Abstract

Protein stabilisation in white wine is of great concern to winemakers as denaturation of wine proteins may cause haze formation, which is usually considered a wine fault. Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins derived from grapes are the major soluble proteins remaining in the finished wine, which are mainly responsible for haze formation. The development of PR proteins in grapes during ripening and the extraction of PR proteins from grapes into juice can largely affect the concentration of PR proteins in the final wine, which consequently influence wine protein stability. Bentonite fining is the most common method to remove proteins in white wine before bottling, but it can cause the loss of wine volume and the removal of beneficial aromas. Thus, a number of alternative methods have been proposed for their potential to replace bentonite fining.