PHENOLIC CONTENT AND ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY OF POMACE AND CANES EXTRACTS OF SOME VITIS VINIFERA VARIETIES CULTIVATED IN ROMANIA

The by-products of winemaking processes still contain important amounts of active compounds. The aim of this study was to obtain and to characterise the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of different extracts from by-products of the wine industry: pomace and canes. Three red varieties of Vitis vinifera cultivated in Romania were used, Mamaia, Cabernet Sauvignon and Feteasca neagra. Aqueous and ethanolic solutions (50% and 70%) were prepared by hot, cold or ultrasonic extraction, as well as macerates in glycerol. The results showed that the phenolic amount in the extracts varied as follows: hot ethanol extract > cold ethanol extract > ultrasonic ethanol extract > glycerol macerate > hot water extract > ultrasonic water extract. These preliminary findings showed quantitative differences between the prepared extracts and emphasized the importance of the extraction method and the type of raw material in order to obtain the highest content of polyphenolic antioxidant compounds.