Blueberry Wine Aging: Influence of Bottle Storage Time on Color, Anthocyanin Monomers, and Antioxidant Activity

Abstract

In this paper, the influence of bottle storage time on different blueberry wines has been studied. Four blueberry wines with different fruit weight/sugar solution volume ratios and different fermentation times were stored. The storage was conducted for 12 months in darkness and at a constant temperature of 4°C. All the wines showed a similar behavior during the 12-month study period. The concentration of anthocyanins decreased significantly after the storage period. Wines obtained through partial fermentation showed a low concentration of anthocyanin monomers, and in the case of wines from total fermentation, no anthocyanin monomers could be identified. However, the wines at 12 months of storage exhibited a significant contribution to red color. The color intensity experienced a sharp decrease from 0 to 4 months, remaining unchanged until 12 months. Moreover, antioxidant activity increased during the storage process from 0 to 4 months and then remained relatively stable up to 12 months.