Amino acid composition of grape juice and wine: Principal factors that determine its content and contribution to the human diet

Abstract

The wine is a beverage obtained from alcoholic fermentation (AF) of the must and an important food of the Mediterranean diet due to its health properties. To carry out a correct AF, yeasts need nitrogen as a source of feed. Yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) is a combination of free amino nitrogen (FAN) and ammonium (NH4 +). Amino acids are the most important nutrients in musts and wines since, in addition to contributing to wine quality, they play a key role in human health. These compounds are required for the synthesis of body proteins, peptide hormones, and some neurotransmitters. Besides, they are important to the intestinal mucosal catabolism, to the enterocytes and lymphocytes, and are the precursors of nucleic acids, and nucleotides. Amino acids in these beverages do not fully satisfy the human amino acids requirements. Thus, a moderate wine consumption should form an important basis of people’s diet to contribute to an increasingly healthier life.