Dissecting the polysaccharide-rich grape cell wall matrix using recombinant pectinases during winemaking

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Yu Gao
  • Jonatan Ulrik Fangel
  • William George Tycho Willats
  • Melané A. Vivier
  • John P. Moore

The effectiveness of enzyme-mediated-maceration in red winemaking relies on the use of an optimum combination of specific enzymes. A lack of information on the relevant enzyme activities and the corresponding polysaccharide-rich berry cell wall structure is a major limitation. This study used different combinations of purified recombinant pectinases with cell wall profiling tools to follow the deconstruction process during winemaking. Multivariate data analysis of the glycan microarray (CoMPP) and gas chromatography (GC) results revealed that pectin lyase performed almost as effectively in de-pectination as certain commercial enzyme mixtures. Surprisingly the combination of endo-polygalacturonase and pectin-methyl-esterase only unraveled the cell walls without de-pectination. Datasets from the various combinations used confirmed pectin-rich and xyloglucan-rich layers within the grape pomace. These data support a proposed grape cell wall model which can serve as a foundation to evaluate testable hypotheses in future studies aimed at developing tailor-made enzymes for winemaking scenarios.

Original languageEnglish
JournalCarbohydrate Polymers
Volume152
Pages (from-to)510-519
Number of pages10
ISSN0144-8617
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

    Research areas

  • Journal Article

ID: 169133819