INFLUENCE OF MACERATION CONDITIONS ON THE ANTIOXIDATIVE PROPERTIES OF VRANAC AND MERLOT RED WINES

Abstract

Maceration is the basic process by which red and white wine production technologies differ from each other, and thanks to this process, red wines acquire most of their characteristics. Mainly during maceration, phenolic compounds, which are powerful antioxidants, are extracted from the solid parts of the berries. Depending on the variety, it is necessary to apply different maceration regimes. The aim of this research was to determine the influence of the maceration temperature and duration on the antioxidant properties of red wines of the Vranac and Merlot varieties. The research was carried out in 2021, where maceration procedures were applied for 6 and 12 days, at temperatures of 16 and 25°C. When macerated for 6 days at 25°C, the wines of both varieties had the lowest total phenolic content (Vranac 7.27 g/l; Merlot 7.15 g/l), but the highest total free anthocyanin content (Vranac 841.04 mg/l; Merlot 572.85 mg/l). Higher antioxidant activity of Vranac variety wines was obtained at shorter maceration (6 days), and Merlot variety wines at longer maceration (12 days).