Low and zero alcohol wines: impact of different dealcoholization processes on phenol profile and health benefits

Consumers’ demand for non-alcoholic wine has notably increased in the last years: this trend is a consequence of a growing interest in more healthy habits, and as a response to higher alcohol levels in wine due to climate change. In addition, drinking limitations due to physiological/pathological conditions (e.g., pregnancy, diabetes, hepatic disorders), driving regulations, ethical/religious considerations, and high import taxes on alcoholic beverages have positively influenced this marked (us$ 1.6 billion in 2021). International organisation of vine and wine (OIV) established that alcohol content defining wines must not be less than 8.5% vol, (OIV, 2017). However, with regulation no 2117/2021 the eu introduced the categories of: a) “dealcoholized wine,” when “the actual alcoholic strength is not more than 0.5% v/v”; b) “partially dealcoholized” when “the actual alcoholic strength is above 0.5% v/v and is below the minimum actual alcoholic strength of the category before dealcoholization”. There are several processing techniques that can be applied to obtain products without or with low alcohol content. They can be applied in pre-fermentation, fermentation, or post-fermentation stages of production. To date, few data have been produced on the impact of dealcoholization processes on wine composition, palatability, and health benefits. The aim of this paper is the review of available literature data on the most significant changes occurring after different dealcoholization processes, with a focus on phenolic composition and the impact on health. Methods the literature search was performed using scientific databases including pubmed, embase, web of science and cababstract from 1970 to 2024. The key words used were “wine” in combination with “dealcoholization”, “dealcoholized”, “low alcohol”, zero “alcohol”, “alcohol-free” “ethanol removal”, “phenolic composition” “health”. Alcoholic beverages different from wine were excluded. Results from the literature search, 53 papers were collected; of them, 21 were related to wine composition and 7 to health benefits of low- and zero-alcohol wines. The principal techniques used for wine dealcoholization included partial vacuum evaporation, membrane techniques (reverse osmosis and nanofiltration), and distillation (vacuum and osmotic). Of them, nanofiltration allowed a better retention of polyphenols, especially anthocyanins in red wines. In addition, ethanol reduction in the range between 1 and 4% (v/v) was associated with a higher concentration of polyphenols volatile compounds, and better sensory characteristics than dealcoholized wines. The studies on health benefits of low- and zero alcohol wines showed positive results in terms of anti-inflammatory activity, antioxidant effects and glycaemic modulation, mainly mediated by flavonoids. However, these effects seem to be not significantly different from those observed for a moderate wine consumption. Conclusions low- and zero-alcohol wines have become increasingly popular in recent years, mainly among consumers who ask a reduction of alcohol consumption due to medical or social reasons. The present review showed that different dealcoholization techniques differently affect chemical composition of wine, but health benefits are generally maintained.