Wine quality can be significantly affected by tannin and polysaccharide composition, which can in turn be influenced by grape maturity and winemaking practices. This study explored the impact of three commercial wine additives, a maceration enzyme, an enotannin, and a mannoprotein, on the composition and sensory properties of red wine, in particular, in mimicking the mouthfeel associated with w...

The phenology of insect emergence affects reproductive success and is especially critical in short-lived species. An increasing number of studies have documented the effects of thermal and other climatic variations and of unpredictable habitats on the timing of adult insect emergence within and between populations and years. Numerous interacting factors may affect the phenology of adult emergen...

We report here that pink grape berries were obtained by a short insertion in the intron of the MybA1 gene, a gene that regulates grape berry color. Genetic variation was detected among the MybA1 genes from grapes cultivated worldwide. PCR analysis of the MybA1 gene demonstrated that the size of the MybA1 gene in the red allele differs among grapes. Oriental V. vinifera bearing pink berries has ...

Objectives: To examine Plate Waste (PW) from elementary and middle school-aged children by school and by grade when grapes were on the lunch menu versus when they were absent. The primary hypothesis tested was that grapes enhance consumption and lessen plate waste, thereby serving as a “gateway” fruit to healthier eating. The foods examined were selected fruits, vegetables, and entrées. The end...

Silwet L-77, an organosilicone surfactant, was applied to several arthropod pests of California table grapes. Eggs of grape mealybug, Pseudococcus maritimus (Ehrhorn), and omnivorous leafroller, Platynota stultana Walsingham, were tolerant to 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5% treatment solutions; however, eggs of Pacific spider mite, Tetranychus pacificus McGregor, were highly susceptible with mortality >99....

‘In-store’ consumer acceptance tests were performed on a group of 400 American consumers and 250 native Chinese consumers to determine the relationship between ripe soluble solids concentration (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA) on consumer acceptance of ‘Redglobe’ grapes for different ethnic groups. For this, a group of Caucasian, Hispanic and Chinese-American consumers and a group of native Ch...

Type 2 diabetes affects approximately 7% of the population in the United States and is characterized by decreased disposal of glucose in peripheral tissues due to insulin resistance and overproduction of glucose by the liver, defects in pancreatic beta-cell function, and decreased beta-cell mass. Obesity, decreased physical exercise, and consumption of foods with a high glycemic index (GI) and ...

Wine grapes present a unique biogeography model, wherein microbial biodiversity patterns across viticultural zones not only answer questions of dispersal and community maintenance, they are also an inherent component of the quality, consumer acceptance, and economic appreciation of a culturally important food product. On their journey from the vineyard to the wine bottle, grapes are transformed...

Beginning with the ‘French Paradox’ observations in the 1990’s much interest has been devoted to the profile and contents of plant secondary metabolites, not only of grapes and wines, but also of numerous other plant foods, due to their assumed health-beneficial properties. Grapes belong to the most important fruit crops, and some 80% of this crop is processed into red and white wines. Anthocya...