White wine with high flavonoid content developed

Related tags Wine

A white wine with the beneficial effects of red wine has been
developed in Israel. Scientists at the Technion Israel Institute of
Technology claim to...

A white wine with the beneficial effects of red wine has been developed in Israel. Scientists at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology claim to have created a kosher white wine with the cholesterol-lowering benefits of red wine. Researchers have known for years about the beneficial effects of red wine, which has been linked to lower cholesterol oxidation, identified as a major contributor to the blockage of arteries. The Technion-made white wine contains more flavonoids, the natural chemicals that counteract the damaging effects of cholesterol oxidation. According to the study leader, Prof. Michael Aviram of the Technion Faculty of Medicine, this was achieved through a novel process. "We concluded that processing white wine by putting grape skins of chardone or muscat grapes [which are white or yellow in colour] in contact with alcohol for a short period helped extract the skin's flavonoids, and produced white wine rich in potent antioxidants similar to those found in red wine,"​ Prof. Aviram said. Red wine retains its flavonoids because the grape skins are left on for several weeks prior to the wine preparation. Since the skin of white grapes can not be left on longer than 18 hours without compromising the taste and aroma of the wine, Prof. Aviram added alcohol naturally obtained from wine to the squeezed grapes during the preparation process. This increased the flavonoids more than five-fold, making them as potent as the much greater amount found in red wine. "There are many different classes of flavonoids, and the ones in the specially prepared white wine are extremely potent,"​ Prof. Aviram claims. The alcohol added to the white wine resulted in a slightly stronger wine with 16 per cent alcohol content and since not all the grape sugar was converted into alcohol, it resulted in a dessert wine. Source: American Society For Technion, Israel Institute Of Technology

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