Soluble Protein and Amino Acid Content Affects the Foam Quality of Sparkling Wine

Abstract

Proteins and amino acids are known to influence the foam characteristics of sparkling wines. However, it is unclear to what extent they promote foam formation and/or stability. This study aimed to investigate the effect of protein content and amino acid composition, measured via the bicinchoninic acid assay and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively, on the foaming properties of 28 sparkling white wines, made by different production methods. Foam volume and stability were determined using a robotic pourer and computer vision algorithms. Modifications were applied to the protein determination method involving the use of yeast invertase as a standard in order to improve quantification accuracy. The protein content was found to be significantly correlated to parameters representative of foam stability, as were the amino acids arginine, asparagine, histidine, and tyrosine. Additionally, the production method was found to influence the foam collar height, which favored foaming in Méthode Traditionnelle wines over other those made by production methods. Understanding the contributions of key wine constituents to the visual and mouthfeel parameters of sparkling wine will enable more efficient production of high-quality wines.

Keywords: Méthode Traditionnelle; amino acid; foamability; protein; robotic pourer; sparkling wine quality; yeast invertase.