September 19, 2014 <\/p>\n
Anne-Mette Siem, Aarhus University <\/p>\n
One sip of a perfectly poured glass of wine leads to an explosion of flavors in your mouth. Researchers at Aarhus University have now developed a nanosensor that can mimic what happens in your mouth when you drink wine. The sensor measures how you experience the sensation of dryness in the wine. <\/p>\n
When wine growers turn their grapes into wine, they need to control a number of processes to bring out the desired flavor in the product that ends up in the wine bottle. An important part of the taste is known in wine terminology as astringency, and it is characteristic of the dry sensation you get in your mouth when you drink red wine in particular. It is the tannins in the wine that bring out the sensation that otherwise beyond compare can be likened to biting into an unripe banana. It is mixed with lots of tastes in the wine and feels both soft and dry. <\/p>\n
Mini-mouth measures the effect of astringency <\/p>\n
Researchers at the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO ), Aarhus University, have now developed a nanosensor that is capable of measuring the effect of astringency in your mouth when you drink wine. To put it simply, the sensor is a kind of mini-mouth that uses salivary proteins to measure the sensation that occurs in your mouth when you drink wine. The researchers are looking at how the proteins change in the interaction with the wine, and they can use this to describe the effect of the wine. <\/p>\n
There is great potential in this both for the wine producers and for research into the medicine of the future. Indeed, it is the first time that a sensor has been produced that not only measures the amount of proteins and molecules in your mouth when you drink wine, but also measures the effect of wine or other substances entering your mouth. <\/p>\n
Wine can be controlled from the beginning <\/p>\n
The sensor makes it possible for wine producers to control the development of astringency during wine production because they can measure the level of astringency in the wine right from the beginning of the process. This can currently only be achieved when the wine is ready and only by using a professional tasting panel with the associated risk of human inaccuracy. Using the sensor, producers can work towards the desired sensation of dryness before the wine is ready. <\/p>\n
We dont want to replace the wine taster. We just want a tool that is useful in wine production. When you produce wine, you know that the finished product should have a distinct taste with a certain level of astringency. If it doesnt work, people wont drink the wine, says PhD student Joana Guerreiro, first author of the scientific article in ACS NANO, which presents the sensor and its prospects. <\/p>\n
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Using Nanoscience To Make Wine Better<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" September 19, 2014 Anne-Mette Siem, Aarhus University One sip of a perfectly poured glass of wine leads to an explosion of flavors in your mouth. Continue reading