Characterization, phenolic profile, nitrogen compounds and antioxidant activity of Carignano wines

The aim of this study was to perform a preliminary chemical and physical characterization of the Carignano wine, an Italian monovarietal red wine mainly produced in the south-west of Sardinia (Italy). Technological parameters (alcohol, reducing sugars, total and volatile acidity, and pH), organic acid content, CIE L*C*abh°ab chromaticity coordinates, phenolic compound contents (with spectrophotometric assays and HPLC-DAD), nitrogen compounds (with HPLC-FLD) and antioxidant capacity assessed by FRAP and DPPH assays were evaluated in 14 samples (vintage 2013) and compared with 3 aged samples. Carignano wines showed a significant level of phenolic compounds (2023 ± 435 mg GAE/L) and a good in vitro antioxidant capacity (31.6 ± 5.2 mmol Fe2+/L and 10.0 ± 1.4 mmol TEAC/L, respectively). The content of total polyphenols correlated significantly (p < 0.001) with the total reducing power and radical scavenging capacity. The nitrogen compounds found in samples were mainly amino acids, and among these, the content of essential amino acids was of 61.4 ± 22.5 mg/L. A relatively low amount of undesirable biogenic amines was also found (17.2 ± 6.9 mg/L). Xanthine was detected in all the samples in the range 48.0–101.4 mg/L. These data may help wineries improve their consumer safety procedures for Carignano wine production