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. 2025 Jun 26;14(13):2272.
doi: 10.3390/foods14132272.

Impact of Nitrogen Sparging on Chemical and Sensory Characteristics of Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc Wines

Del Barrio-Galán Rubén  1   2 , Del Alamo-Sanza Maria  1   2 , Martínez-Gil Ana María  1   2 , González-Lázaro Miriam  3 , Nevares Ignacio  2   4
Affiliations

Impact of Nitrogen Sparging on Chemical and Sensory Characteristics of Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc Wines

Del Barrio-Galán Rubén et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Sparging is a common technique in wineries that consists of injecting a gas, normally before bottling, in order to displace the dissolved oxygen in the wine and prevent oxidation. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of sparging on wines with three different levels of dissolved oxygen and the evolution of the chemical parameters in a bottle. This study was carried out on two white wines, Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc. The results indicated that sparging did not immediately affect the chemical parameters in the white wines, but it did affect their evolution in bottles, with a greater effect found in the Sauvignon blanc wines than in the Verdejo wines. Sparging, which was carried out to remove oxygen from the wines, had a protective effect on their color during the time in the bottles, preventing a more rapid decrease in free SO2. The effect of sparging on the volatile compounds of the wines was more evident in the Sauvignon blanc wines, which showed a reduction in their content, possibly due to carry-over when the N2 was applied. With regard to the effect of sparging on the sensory profile of the wines, no immediate effect was found. However, the wines with a DO content of 6 and 8.4 mg/L to which sparging was applied evolved better in the bottles than the deoxygenation wines, showing more fruity notes and fewer oxidized and phenolic aromas (mainly in the Verdejo wines).

Keywords: deoxygenation; nitrogen; oxygen; sensory profile; sparging; volatile compounds.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Deoxygenation kinetics for Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc wines at different oxygen concentrations. Different lowercase letters for Verdejo and uppercase letters for Sauvignon blanc indicate statistically significant differences.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evolution of pH, total and volatile acidity of Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc wines with and without sparging treatment over 6 months in bottles.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Evolution of the alcohol, free SO2 and total SO2 contents of Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc wines with and without sparging treatment over 6 months in bottles.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Evolution of the phenolic families of Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc wines with and without sparging treatment over 6 months in bottles.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Evolution of the color parameters of Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc wines with and without sparging treatment over 6 months.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Difference in absorbance spectra of Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc wines at 6 months versus 0 months of bottle aging.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Concentration of the different volatile compounds (grouped as described in Table S2) in Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc wines after sparging. Different letters indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Gain or loss (in concentration) of the different groups of volatile compounds studied at the end of bottle aging in Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc wines. Different letters indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Sensory analysis of Verdejo wines after sparging (0 M) and during bottle aging (1 M, 3 M and 6 M). * indicates statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between the wines.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Sensory analysis of Sauvignon blanc wines after sparging (0 M) and during bottle aging (1 M, 3 M and 6 M). The asterisk (*) indicates statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between the wines.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Principal component analysis (PCA) of Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc wines after 6 months in bottles (6 M).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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