Potencial qualitativo de sucos de uva e vinhos da Campanha Gaúcha obtidos a partir de tecnologias aplicáveis ao contexto regional

Abstract

In the Campanha Gaúcha region the productive matrix is traditionally based on livestock and currently includes crops such as rice and soybean. Since the 1970s, several vineyards have been installed in this region, summing up 1560 hectares of vineyards in 2015. These vineyards are dedicated almost exclusively to the production of European grape cultivars bound for the wine industry. Within this region, the production of hybrid and American cultivars – those which are suitable for juice production – is almost negligible and still limited to small farmers. Considering the increasing market demand for grape juice – both from organic and conventional farming – and the success in expanding the Brazilian viticultural area to the Campanha Gaúcha, it is possible to list it among the potential regions for growing grapes for juice processing. Nevertheless, the qualitative potential of grape juices from this region has not been studied yet. Therefore, the present thesis evaluates the qualitative potential of juices elaborated with grapes from organic and conventional farming that could be found in Campanha Gaúcha and nearby regions, stablishing as a reference those of grapes from Serra Gaúcha – the main grape juice producing area in Brazil. The analysis performed in the juices included bioactive compounds and fundamental quality parameters such as those necessary for commercialization in Brazil. The two main extraction methods used for juice elaboration were compared. The results indicated that the juices from this region present a qualitative potential for commercialization, fitting the Brazilian legislation requirements, especially if the enzymatic extraction method is employed. Another topic of interest in the region – where manpower is scarce – is the mechanization of field operations. One of the most critical labor-intensive operations is harvesting. Thus, the composition of Merlot wines obtained from mechanically and manually harvested grapes was analyzed into detail. Differences were not significant or very subtle. In sum, the region showed potential – from a qualitative point of view – for: producing juices of hybrid and American grape cultivars - employing the enzymatic extraction method; and mechanically harvesting Merlot grapes for the production of wines, without compromising their characteristics.