IMPACT OF UV-C RADIATION ON THE SENSORY PROPERTIES OF RED WINES

Abstract

This pilot study investigated the influence of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) radiation on the sensory properties of two red wine varieties, Dunaj from Slovakia and Lasina Crna from Croatia. The wines were exposed to three UV-C treatments and were compared to the untreated control samples using sensory evaluation, electronic eye color analysis. Descriptive sensory scoring showed a clear varietal response: Dunaj showed improved color scores in all treated variants and a slight aroma improvement after the longest exposure, whereas Lasina Crna showed reduced aroma quality and lower color intensity after shorter treatments. Electronic eye analysis confirmed strong varietal differentiation as well; principal component analysis (PCA) based on chromatic variables explained 98.46% of the total variance by PC1 and 1.2% by PC2. The initial alcohol and total acid contents were 12.45% and 4.90 g/L for Lasina Crna and 13.60% and 4.55 g/L for Dunaj variety confirming that selected wines represented different matrices for UV-C treatment evaluation. The results indicate that UV-C treatment may be useful for selected red wine matrices, but the treatment should be optimised separately for each variety due to the some exposure could negatively affect aroma and color quality of red wines.