By Scott Weybright, CAHNRS

When it comes to wine, the chemistry must be right to get the best taste and sensation.

To help winemakers with that chemistry, a team of researchers at Washington State University has made it easier to test the chemical makeup of their red wine to get the vino they’re looking for.

In a paper released last month in the journal Molecules, the scientists presented a new model that allows winemakers to get measurements in their wine that previously required difficult, tedious, or expensive testing.

“Some of the testing methods are very difficult for people in a winery’s lab to do during harvest,” said Jim Harbertson, a WSU associate professor of enology and the corresponding author on the paper. “The industry asked us to come up with alternate ways to get information. We love chemistry, but most people don’t want to do that.”

The model allows wine labs to do measurements of phenolics that are typically out of reach for most. Phenolics give red wine its important sensory characteristics, like mouthfeel and color. They also provide antioxidants to the wine.

“This is basically a simplification of lengthy tests,” Harbertson said. “It took us several years and a huge amount of work and math, but we’ve corroborated the results of the model and it works well.”

So now winemakers can conduct relatively simple tests, run the results through the new WSU-created algorithm, and get accurate predictions on the mouthfeel and color of the wine produced for consumers.

“Technicians and winemakers in a winery lab will have a much easier time doing the work and getting useful results,” Harbertson said.

To make it more helpful to winemakers, Harbertson used research funds to make the academic paper, which he co-wrote with WSU colleagues Chris Beaver and Tom Collins, open access, or available to anyone, online. The goal is to help all wineries in Washington and around the country make better wine.

“This is for the people who make the wine that people drink,” he said. “This provides winemakers with a new tool for measuring the components of wine and will ultimately help consumers have better wines to drink.”

Media contact:

• James Harbertson, WSU Viticulture and Enology program, 509-372-7506, jfharbertson@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Groundbreaking nanotechnology designed to protect cherries, apples and other popular fruits from frost damage is showing positive results in tests by Washington State University researchers.

The research team recently received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop plant-based nanocrystals that coat and protect fruit buds during cold spells in the spring, when temperatures rise and fall unpredictably. The team also received an additional $100,000 from the tree fruit growers of Washington state through the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission to partially fund field trails in support of the technology.

The unique nanocrystal solution was formulated by Xiao Zhang, associate professor at ���سԹ�’ Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, and a team of collaborators representing multiple disciplines.

“Frost damage happens in spring, as the flowers open and the sensitive tissues in the plant are exposed,” said Matthew Whiting, scientist and professor of horticulture at WSU’s Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center. “If we get a warm week, it signals to the plant that it needs to wake up.

“But plants lose their tolerance to the cold quite quickly, and that’s when we see frost damage,” Whiting added. “You see a lot of crop damage as a result.”

Positive results with preliminary trials

The team, led by professor Qin Zhang, director of WSU’s Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems, also includes Xiao Zhang, Matthew Whiting, and Changki Mo, ���سԹ� associate professor of mechanical engineering. Together they conducted their first field trial with the nanocrystals this spring. It showed positive results.

The team will continue the trials over the next three years, seeking to perfect the dosage and application strategy, in addition to the nanocrystal technology.

“We will explore thermal properties of the nanocrystal spray, and focus on fully understanding the mechanism of nanocrystals in frost damage reduction,” Mo said.

If it proves feasible, the technology could have a large impact on the agriculture industry.

“Our preliminary results show the technology to be very promising, even better than we were expecting,” Qin Zhang said. “If we prove that the technology works, and if the method of application is perfected, it will not only have applications in tree fruit, but in many other crops, and beyond. The potential for this technology is huge.”

Unique and renewable characteristics

Since the nanocrystals are made from plant-based material, they represent a more environmentally friendly method for controlling temperatures for crops than current techniques.

Currently, growers use methods such as wind turbines to circulate air and raise the temperature of cold pockets in orchards. Or, they use heaters that cost upwards of thousands of dollars per night, which also give off significant pollution.

“With these unique structural characteristics and physical properties, and the fact that the nanocrystals are all made out of biobased materials and are considered renewable, we are identifying a high-value niche application for tree fruit and frost prevention and protection,” Xiao Zhang said.

Cross disciplines for the future of fruit protection

Researchers from across several disciplines at WSU are working to perfect the nanocrystal method, ensuring a quality product built for industry use, Qin Zhang said.

“No single person who works in chemical engineering and nanocrystal technology, horticulture, mechanical engineering or precision agriculture has complete knowledge on the subject,” Qin Zhang said. “It is truly a transdisciplinary team. Everyone provides expertise in their particular field. This integrated team is covering all knowledge to conduct this research.”

 

Contacts:

• Qin Zhang, director and professor at WSU’s Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems, 509-786-9360, qinzhang@wsu.edu
• Xiao Zhang, associate professor at Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, 509-372-7647, x.zhang@wsu.edu
• Changki Mo, ���سԹ� associate professor of mechanical engineering, 509-372-7296, changki.mo@wsu.edu
• Matt Whiting, scientist and professor of horticulture at WSU’s Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, 509-786-9260, mdwhiting@wsu.edu
• Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� public relations specialist, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray@wsu.edu

PROSSER, Wash. – Naidu Rayapati, world-renowned plant pathologist, has been named director of the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser and assistant dean for the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences at ���سԹ�.

Rayapati studies virus diseases in a variety of crops, with emphasis on wine grapes. He’s worked in vineyards and farmers’ fields to help fight off, or prevent, pathogens that could have massive impacts on crops in Washington and around the world.

“I’m very excited about taking on these dual roles, including the new assistant dean position for the ���سԹ� campus,” Rayapati said. “We need to harness scientific and technological innovations, optimize strategic advantages, and maximize opportunities at the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) and ���سԹ� campuses.”

The new assistant dean position will strengthen cross-campus collaborations and university-stakeholder partnerships, enhancing the visibility and impacts of extension and academic programs from CAHNRS across Washington state and globally, Rayapati said.

Rayapati also aims to build partnerships with other institutions for advancing the overall land-grant mission of WSU and to actively contribute to WSU’s ‘Drive to 25’ initiative.

Both the IAREC and the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center at Tri-Cities are large components of the WSU Viticulture & Enology Program. While serving in his new roles, Rayapati will continue to conduct research in his grape virology program, with support from CAHNRS and his team of research associates, graduate students, and technical staff taking on a larger role in successfully running his program.

Rayapati takes over as director of the IAREC from Gary Grove, who will remain director of WSU’s AgWeatherNet.

“We are very appreciative of Gary Grove’s positive and impactful leadership and management of the IAREC Center along with his successful engagement with our stakeholders and industry,” said Ron Mittelhammer, dean of CAHNRS.

“Rayapati’s research work in grape virology is incredibly important and valuable to the Washington wine industry, which is why CAHNRS is committed to continuing to provide substantial support for it,” Mittelhammer said. “Now, all of the CAHNRS scientists at the IAREC and the Tri-Cities campus will benefit from his leadership skills.”

Rayapati started his new position effective May 15.

 

Contact:

• Naidu Rayapati, Director of the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center and CAHNRS assistant dean for Tri-Cities, 509-786-9215