Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide, has been previously proposed as an elicitor in plants to prevent pathogen infections. The present study aimed to analyze the effect of chitosan solution and chitosan nanoparticles treatment applied on the grapevine variety Sousão with respect to the phenolic composition, antioxidant potential and antibacterial activity of its individual grape components. Grapevine plants of selected lines were sprayed with chitosan solution and chitosan nanoparticles, and ethanolic extracts of stems, seeds and skins were prepared from grapevines treated and not treated with chitosan. Total phenolic, anthocyanin and tannin contents were studied, and the identification of the individual phenolic compounds was performed by HPLC-DAD. The antimicrobial susceptibility method was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Overall, there was small increase in the concentration of phenolic compounds, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in grape components treated with chitosan solution. Seed extracts showed the highest antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The studied individual components obtained from chitosan-treated grapevines could represent an added value due to the increased antioxidant and antibacterial potentials. The phenolic compounds found in components may be used in food and pharmaceutical industries as natural food preservers and antibiotic adjuvants.
Keywords: antimicrobial; antioxidant; by-products; chitosan; chitosan nanoparticles; grapevines; phenolics.