Investigating the Effect of Aging on the Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Activity and Anthocyanins in Turkish Wines

Regular consumption of red wine in moderate amounts is proven to possess a positive effect on health because of the phenolic compounds and their ability to act as antioxidants. Aging is one the many factors that affects the phenolic composition of red wines. In this study, the effect of aging on total phenolics (TP), flavonoids (TF), anthocyanins (TA), antioxidant capacity (TAC) and individual phenolic compounds of red wines obtained from the two well-known Turkish wineries were investigated. Results showed, except for few samples, aging generally caused no significant difference in TP, TF and TAC (P>0.05). On the other hand, for all samples, wine aging resulted in significant decrease in both the total (44-88%) and individual (53-99%) TA (P<0.05). This study provided valuable insights into the biochemical composition of several commercial Turkish red wines and how this may change during aging. Practical Applications: Knowledge about the changes in antioxidant components in red wines as a result of aging may be applied in the production of wines with higher nutritional value.