Purification and structural characterisation of lipid transfer protein from red wine and grapes.

Lipid transfer proteins (LTP) play a major role in plant defence and are of particular interest due to their known ability to cause allergic reactions. These proteins are expressed in grapes and also remain detectable after vinification, especially in red wine. However, it remains unknown whether the protein undergoes any changes during the vinification process. Here, we present a purification method for LTPs from Dornfelder grapes and wine. By liquid-chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) we identified LTPs from two different species (Vitis vinifera and Vitis aestivalis). Additionally, the purified LTPs were characterised using spectrometric methods, confirming their high purity and structural stability during vinification. We conclude that LTPs are resistant to the alcohol content (13.5 vol%), acidic milieu of wine and other ingredients present during the vinification process, indicating that the allergenic potential of grape LTP is not diminished by the vinification process.

Prevalence of wine intolerance: results of a survey from Mainz, Germany.

BACKGROUND: Wine is an ancient food product, ubiquitous across cultures all over the world. Its effects on health have been extensively studied, yet there have been only a few case reports of wine intolerance or wine allergy. We studied the prevalence of self-reported wine intolerance in the adult population of Mainz, Germany. METHODS: In 2010, a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence of wine intolerance among adults in Mainz, a city in the wine-cultivating area of Rhine-Hesse. 4000 persons randomly chosen from population lists were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their alcohol intake and the occurrence of various intolerance reactions and allergy-like symptoms after drinking wine. RESULTS: Of the 4000 who received the questionnaire, 948 (23.7%) filled it out and returned it to us. 68 (7.2% of respondents) reported intolerance to wine and/or allergy-like symptoms after drinking wine. Self-reported wine intolerance was more prevalent in women than in men (8.9% vs. 5.2%, p = 0.026). Wine-intolerant persons also more commonly reported intolerance to beer and alcohol in general. Allergy-like symptoms were more common after the consumption of red wine. The most commonly reported reactions to wine were cutaneous flushing, itch, and nasal congestion. CONCLUSION: Wine intolerance was found to be more common than expected. The data reported here are less suggestive of an immunologically mediated allergy than of intolerance to alcohol, biogenic amines, or other ingredients of wine.

Analysis of protein composition of red wine in comparison with rosé and white wines by electrophoresis and high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS).

Wine proteins not only influence wine stability but are also being discussed as potential allergens. Proteins from red, rosé, and white wines were enriched by dialysis and lyophilization followed by separation by SDS-PAGE. Significant differences were detected in the protein compositions of the analyzed wine varieties, and the major protein bands were identified by mass spectrometry after in-gel digestion with trypsin. In German Portugieser red wine, a total of 121 tryptic peptides were identified, which were attributed to 12 grape proteins and 6 proteins derived from yeast. Among the identified constituents are several proteins considered to influence wine stability and previously described potential grape allergens. The pathogenesis-related proteins represent the main proteins in all of the wines, but only some red wines show a band with a molecular mass of 12 kDa, identified as a lipid transfer protein (LTP). The occurrence and distribution of LTP depend on the wine variety.