Title:Polyphenols of Carménère Grapes
Volume: 14
Issue: 3
Author(s): Nils Leander Huaman-Castilla*, Maria Salome Mariotti-Celis and Jose Ricardo Perez-Correa*
Affiliation:
- Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering Department, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackena 4860, P.O. Box 306, Santiago 7820436,Chile
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile - Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering Department, Santiago, RM,Chile
Keywords:
Carmenere, polyphenols, flavonols, anthocyanins, flavanols, bioactives.
Abstract: Carménère is the emblematic grape of Chile. Recent studies indicate that it has a different
polyphenolic profile than other commercial varieties of grape among other factors, due to its long maturation
period. The grape and wine of Carménère stand out for having high concentrations of anthocyanins
(malvidin), flavonols (quercetin and myricetin) and flavanols (catechin, epicatechin and epigallocatechin).
These compounds are related to the distinctive characteristic of Carménère wine regarding
astringency and color. In vivo and in vitro models suggest some positive effects of these polyphenols in
the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases, such as atherosclerosis and cancer. Therefore, there is
a high level of interest to develop scalable industrial methods in order to obtain and purify Carménère
grape polyphenol extracts that could be used to improve the characteristics of wines from other varieties
or produce nutraceuticals or functional foods for preventing and treating various chronic diseases.
