We all know that food goes best with wine to deliciously complement the flavors of a meal.
Now, French scientists have shown that the opposite is also true: food fats interact with wine compounds to make the drink taste better.
The researchers explored how lipids (fat molecules abundant in cheeses, meats, vegetable oils and other foods) interact with grape tannins.
Tannins are a group of bitter, astringent compounds that are found naturally in plants, seeds, bark, wood, leaves and fruit skins, including grapes.
Scientists say tannins increase lipids, accentuating their flavor and masking their unwanted bitter taste.
Wine lovers recognize that a perfectly paired wine can make a delicious meal taste even better, but the opposite is also true: certain foods can influence the flavors of wines.
WHAT ARE TANINS?
Tannin, also called tannic acid, is a pale yellow to light brown substance.
It is widely found naturally in the roots, wood, bark, leaves and fruits of many plants.
Tannin is also called tannic acid
Tannin solutions have an astringent taste and are responsible for the astringency, color and part of the taste of the tea.
They are used in the wine and beer clarification process, but are mainly used in leather tanning, tissue dyeing, ink making and in various medical applications.
Tannins are known to bind to proteins and amino acids causing them to aggregate and precipitate.
The study was led by Julie Géan and colleagues at the University of Bordeaux, France.
They say they have deciphered the interaction between tannins and emulsified lipids at the molecular level for the first time.
“Dietary oils decrease the perception of astringency in grape tannin solutions,” the team tells the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
“Our results highlight that dietary lipids are crucial molecular agents that affect our sensory perception during wine consumption.”
Good wine is already established can make a delicious meal taste even better, like cabernet sauvignon with steak.
Researchers specializing in wine science, known as winemakers, have also observed mutual interactions between food and wine, such as Chardonnay and Dutch sauce.
Sensory analysis studies have remarkably shown that some foods influence the taste of wines, making them more pleasant on the tongue.
However, these combinations between food and wine “are based primarily on empirical considerations without any scientific evidence,” the team claims.
The study authors wanted to investigate how tannins influence the size and stability of lipid droplets in an emulsion.
They also wondered how the previous consumption of vegetable oils could affect the taste of the tannins of human volunteers.
For their experiments, they made an oil-in-water emulsion with olive oil, water and an emulsifier, called phospholipid DMPC.
Olive oil provided lipids, which are usually found as fat globules dispersed in liquids or solids.
The images in the document show an emulsion cream in the presence of catechin located at the interface of the oil droplets, stabilized by the phospholipid DMPC used as an emulsifier.
They then added a grape tannin, called catechin, and studied the emulsion lipids with nuclear magnetic resonance and optical and electron microscopy.
The team found that the catechin was inserted into the emulsifier layer surrounding the oil droplets, causing larger droplets to form over time.
This caused something called “cream”: the top of the emulsion (the richest in lipid droplets) became creamy, while the bottom became transparent.
This result shows that the tannin promotes burning and these larger lipid drops mask the astringent taste of the tannins.
The image shows drops of emulsion in the presence and absence of catechin, a type of tannin. The addition of catechin caused a pronounced “cream”
The researchers tested the effect on the human mouth, using three different sources of lipids.
In flavor tests, volunteers indicated that consuming a tablespoon of rapeseed, grape seed, or olive oil before tasting a tannin solution reduced the astringency of the compounds.
Olive oil had the greatest effect and caused the tannins to be perceived as fruity rather than astringent.
In the mouth, tannins can also make oil droplets less available to bind to saliva proteins and cause astringency.
The study highlights the importance of oils in the perception of the taste of tannin solutions depending on the variety of oil.
“Rapeseed and rapeseed oils reduce or even eliminate astringency from tannin solutions, while tannin solutions are no longer perceived as astringents but as fruity after ingesting olive oil “experts say.
The team concludes that there is a “mutual affinity” between tannins and lipids, as well as components of biological membranes or fatty foods.
They believe that tannin-lipid interactions should be considered by wine experts to find the best association between highly astringent red wines and fatty foods such as cheeses, meats, sausages or desserts.
Why some red wines have a “dry” taste: Cab Sauv contains more larger, more pigmented tannins that are mixed with saliva to influence the astringency of a bottle than a Pinot Noir
A new study shows that the interaction between the wine’s tannin and its saliva could explain why some are considered more “dry” than others.
An interaction between wine tannins and saliva could explain why some are considered “drier” than others, according to a 2019 study.
Although compound tannin has long been associated with oral sensation, it has never been pointed out exactly how it causes it.
Tannin extracted from drier wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon was shown to be larger and more pigmented than those from less dry Pinot Noir.
When this “drier” tannin was added to control drinks, it promoted the perception of dryness.
The feeling of dryness, also known as astringency, refers to a feeling of fisting or roughness in the mouth when someone drinks wine.
The findings could help winemakers better manage wine tastings, researchers say.
Read more: Tannin and interactions with saliva influence the mouthfeel of the wine