The impact of mycorrhizal fungi on Sangiovese red wine production: phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties

The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of a microbiological consortium, in particular mycorrhizal fungi, on the phytochemical composition and on the antioxidant properties of Sangiovese wines with respect to wines from conventional agriculture, paying particular attention to their oxidative stability following oxygen exposure. We determined by spectrophotometric methods and HPLC-DAD the phytochemical composition and by ORAC assay the antioxidant activity of wines. Besides, in order to evaluate the beneficial effects of both symbiotic and conventional wines, we investigated on human erythrocytes the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) and the hemolysis inhibition. Our results showed that symbiotic wines had both a better oxidative stability and a significantly higher level of bioactive compounds compared to the conventional ones. Despite the bioactive compounds variation, no difference in antioxidant capacity was found. However, erythrocytes pre-treated with symbiotic wines exhibited higher biological activities than the equivalent conventional one. In conclusion, the use of a microbiological consortium represents an ecologically and economically relevant solution in vineyard cultivation to get high-quality wines, with improved nutritional and nutraceutical value.