Uva BRS Carmem: uma fonte rica em antocianinas

Abstract

The grape cultivar BRS Carmem was released by Embrapa in 2008, resulting from the crossbreeding of the varieties ‘Muscat Belly A’ and ‘BRS Rúbea.’ Developed for the juice industry, this grape stands out for its intense violet color, aroma, and flavor, as well os its high sugar content. Additionally, it is highly productive, yielding 35 to 40 tons per hectare, with maturity in late February in Rio Grande do Sul. BRS Carmem is mainly used for juice and red table wine, with coloration being its main characteristic.There is a growing interest in utilizing production residues rich in valuable compounds such as anthocyanins for the food industry or other sectors. However, there are still technical and economic challenges in extracting and utilizing these pigments. Further studies are needed to explore the antioxidant potential and physicochemical aspects of this variety, aiming to maximize its nutritional and functional value for the food industry. Therefore, the objective of this work was to extract anthocyanins from the berries and skins of BRS Carmem grapes using a traditional method (acidified ethanol) and quantify and identify the anthocyanins present in the grape through high-performance liquid chromatography. Based on this data, a mass balance of the grape clusters (stems, seeds, pulp, skin) generated in 1 hectare of BRS Carmem grapes was calculated to determine the extractable anthocyanin quantity. One hectare of this cultivar produces 45 tons of grapes, with 19 tons of berries and 21 tons of skins. General physicochemical characterization, study of volatile compounds in the grape berries and skins, and an in vitro digestibility study of the anthocyanincontaining extract from Carmem grapes were also conducted. Among the evaluations, BRS Carmem berries and skins showed antioxidant activity using the DPPH and ABTS+ methods. The predominant volatile compounds were 2-Hexanal and o-Cymene. This grape has anthocyanin-rich skins, with Malvidin 3,5-diglucoside being the major compound. Using the method employed here, 1 hectare of Carmen grapes yields 18 kg of anthocyanins, which are highly stable in the digestibility test.