Oxidative stability of red wine stored in packages with different oxygen permeability

A young wine was aged in containers with different oxygen permeability, i.e. glass, PET and PET including an oxygen scavenger, to determine variations in antioxidant components and antioxidant activity. The phenolic composition and the antioxidant activity ot the wine were evaluated during approximately 24 weeks of storage at 20 and 30°C. Significant changes were observed in total phenolics and total anthocyanin concentration in all samples, while other indexes such as total phenolics and total flavonoids remained stable. The antioxidant activity diminished in all samples, with differences between the various containers, both at 20 and 30°C. HPLC analysis showed that important changes occurred in some flavonoid components and in most anthocyanidins in all storage conditions, with greater degradation at 30°C and in PET bottles. Samples stored in PET with oxygen scavenger showed the highest stability.