Role of ellagitannins and OTR of the Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl barrel staves for beverages aging

Abstract

American and French oak are woods commonly used in cooperage to make barrels. This study analyzed 250 French oak staves to determine the relationship between ellagitannin content and oxygen consumption capacity, as well as the importance of wood grain and its oxygen transfer rate. The study found that castalagin is the most abundant ellagitannin, followed by vescalagin in 37 % of the staves and roburin E in 46 % of them. This allows for the creation of ellagitannin content profiles. It was observed that vescalagin and castalagin occupied the top positions in 7 % of the samples. Additionally, the woods with the highest oxygen consumption capacity were found to have castalagin or vescalagin as the main ellagitannins. Samples with castalagin and roburin E as the main ellagitannins had the lowest consumption capacity. Seven percent of the samples had a castalagin and roburin D profile, which was found to be intermediate.