Recovery of phenolic compounds from by-products of the winemaking chain

The beneficial effects of wine drinking are at present acknowleged by the scientific community, in reason of the polyphenolic content of wine which causes a lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases. The health treasure kept in wine derives from its raw materials; grapes, in fact, contain high amounts of polyphenols. However, only a fraction of the polyphenolic content of grapes is actually transferred to wine. After the winemaking process, indeed, only a fraction of total grape polyphenols is found in wine, while the rest remains in grape skin, stem and seeds. The by-products of winemaking are then extremely rich in compounds that, due to their relevant biological properties, could be exploited for industrial purposes, with applications in the nutritional, medical and cosmetic fields, as well as development of advanced solar cells and related devices. Hence, the exploitation of such a polyphenol treasure, which is commonly disregarded, could provide an economic boost to the whole industry of winemaking countries or regions. An additional achievement obtained by treatment of winemaking residuals is the possibility of alleviating problems of residual disposal. Most of these materials, in fact, should be treated as special wastes, according to current regulations.