Protein haze in white wine is one of the most common non-microbial defects of commercial wines, with bentonite being the main solution utilized by the winemaking industry to tackle this problem. Bentonite presents some serious disadvantages, and several alternatives have been proposed. Here, an alternative based on a new cellulose derivative (dicarboxymethyl cellulose, DCMC) is proposed. To determine the efficiency of DCMC as a bentonite alternative, three monovarietal wines were characterized, and their protein instability and content determined by a heat stability test (HST) and the Bradford method, respectively. The wines were treated with DCMC to achieve stable wines, as shown by the HST, and the efficacy of the treatments was assessed by determining, before and after treatment, the wine content in protein, phenolic compounds, sodium, calcium, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as the wine pH. DCMC applied at dosages such as those commonly employed for bentonite was able to reduce the protein content in all tested wines and to stabilize all but the Moscatel de Setúbal varietal wine. In general, DCMC was shown to induce lower changes in the wine pH and phenolic content than bentonite, reducing the wine calcium content. Regarding which VOCs are concerned, DCMC produced a general impact similar to that of bentonite, with differences depending on wine variety. The results obtained suggest that DCMC can be a sustainable alternative to bentonite in protein white wine stabilization.
Keywords: DCMC; bentonite; protein stability; white wine; wine aromatic fraction; wine protein.