RICERCA ITALIANA     

THE "MADE IN ITALY" FOOD PRODUCTS PROMOTION: THE CASE OF THE GRAPPA

Università degli Studi di Padova

Abstract

In the 2003 WTO meeting in Cancun, the European Community has thrown the bases of a new founded Common agricultural policy on quality assurance, health promotion, environment defense and the valorization of the territorial origin of the agricultural products. In the light of these considerations also the grappa, produced only in Italy, can become one of the products that well represent the "made in Italy" to the foreign countries.
Grappa is an original Italian product obtained by processing marcs from must or wine at the end of the alcoholic fermentation.
The peculiar raw materials used for its production influence its characteristics, the technological history and determine the difficulties found during the manufacturing procedure and therefore its preciousness. Grappa is obtained from the most aromatic part of the grape, the peel, where compounds responsible for fragrances present in different quantities and kinds depending on vine, soil and climatic conditions, are concentrated.
Scientific data on the grappa production process and of the numerous chemical, biochemical and microbiological reactions involved are quite scarce, particularly if compared with those of the neighbouring oenological sector.
The proposed project represents perhaps the first attempt of a multi-disciplinary approach towards this kind of product that is receiving increasing interest, as it is confirmed by the institution of the "Accademia della Grappa" which involves some >>>

Principal Investigator

Paolo SPETTOLI Università degli Studi di PADOVA

Research Objectives

In order to bring innovation into the world of spirits, such as the grappa, a typical alcoholic beverage made in Italy, it is necessary to look for effective means capable of controlling defects while increasing quality attributes. This objective has to be reached taking into account economic aspects, costs for innovation and protection of consumer's health.
In this respect, it has to be considered that in recent years important laws for consumer protection, such as the HACCP systems in the production line, have been promulgated.
The storage of grape marcs after must separation in the winemaking process and before distillation is a crucial step in relation to grappa quality, since microbial and enzymatic activities could produce in this period harmful substances, such as methanol and ethyl-carbamate. It appears therefore important to study the biochemical and microbial mechanisms involved in their production and to set up new control strategies which could positively influence commercial aspects too. To specifically examine aspects involving product quality and the market, a dedicated research units has been added to the project. It will be placed side by side to the unit with medical competences in a position to estimate the assumption of superalcoholic drinks, proposing guidelines in a correct and scientifically manner, easily useable by the public.
The results obtained during this project, along with other data already obtained by our research >>>

First Results

From this phase of the project, different and articulate series of information on marketing and consumption aspects is expected to be collected (by means of questionnaires, interviews, data bank, ...)From this phase of the project new methods for the microbiological and enzymatic characterization of marc and for the simultaneous evaluation of the antioxidant capacity and efficiency of grappa by-products will be developed. From this step information and tools to be used for the analyses on the successive phases will be provided.From the marc ensilage experiment, aliquots will be collected for the determination of enzymatic and microbiological data to be analyzed during the next phase. Part of the sampled aliquots will undergo distillation to evaluate chemical and sensory parameters. The evaluation of marc antioxidant activity at different points of the production process will allow the determination of how these operations can influence the composition and characteristics of their antioxidant content.At the end of this stage all data collection and analysis will be completed and should be ready for their diffusion.

Timescale

24 months

National and international background

In the 2003 WTO meeting in Cancun, the European Community has thrown the bases of a new founded Common agricultural policy on quality assurance, health promotion, environment defense and the valorization of the territorial origin of the agricultural products. In the light of these considerations also the grappa, produced only in Italy, can become one of the products that well represent the "made in Italy" to the foreign countries.
The word spirit, synonymous of the italian term "acquavite", is ascribed to all the beverages obtained from the distillation of different raw vegetable materials. The italian root of the word derives from the latin "aqua vitae", literal translation for "water of life", linked to its likely use as an ancient medicine.
Grappa is an original Italian product obtained by processing marcs from must or wine at the end of the alcoholic fermentation.
The peculiar raw materials used for its production influence its characteristics, the technological history and determine the difficulties found during the manufacturing procedure and therefore its preciousness. Grappa is obtained from the most aromatic part of the grape, the peel, where compounds responsible for fragrances present in different quantities and kinds depending on vine, soil and climatic conditions, are concentrated. On the other hand marcs, the raw material, are difficult to handle both during the storing phase of the production process and during distillation. In this >>>