Gallic acid improves color quality and stability of red wine via physico-chemical interaction and chemical transformation as revealed by thermodynamics, real wine dynamics and benchmark quantum mechanical calculations

The copigmentation effect between malvidin-3-O-glucoside and caffeic acid was comprehensive inquiry on the model wine solution, theoretical simulation and real wine. Thermodynamic parameters were determined by UV/Visible spectroscopy and Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Theoretical data were obtained employing a dispersion-corrected density functional approach. The effects in real wines were investigated by adding the caffeic acid during different fermentation periods. Results shown that the copigmentation reaction between caffeic acid and malvidin-3-O-glucoside is a spontaneous exothermic reaction driven by hydrogen bonding and dispersions forces. Computations show that the polyhydroxyl sugar moiety and phenolic hydroxyl groups are the key active sites. The addition of caffeic acid in post-alcohol fermentation samples evidences an improving color characteristics in the wine.