Effect of Grape Seed and Skin Tannin Molecular Mass and Composition on the Rate of Reaction with Anthocyanin and Subsequent Formation of Polymeric Pigments in the Presence of Acetaldehyde

Polymeric pigments formed via ethyl linkages between grape tannins and anthocyanins are important to the development of stable red wine color. To determine the effect of tannin structure on the stability and color properties of ethyl-linked polymeric pigments, tannin fractions with average polymerization between 4 and 43 units were prepared from grape skins and seeds and combined with malvidin-3-glucoside (M3G) in model wine containing acetaldehyde. As tannin molecular mass increased, the reaction rate with M3G increased. Compared with skin tannins of comparable molecular mass, seed tannins reacted more rapidly with M3G but were prone to precipitation. This resulted in a loss of polymeric pigments formed from seed tannins, which was greater as tannin molecular mass increased. Aggregation occurred following the reaction of seed tannin with M3G, concomitant with precipitation. The aggregation-precipitation phenomenon was not observed for skin tannin-derived pigments, indicating a greater stability in solution than those formed from seed tannins.