Applying nanoparticle tracking analysis to characterize the polydispersity of aggregates resulting from tannin–polysaccharide interactions in wine-like media

Interactions between grape seed tannin and either a mannoprotein or an arabinogalactan in model wine solutions of different ethanol concentrations were characterized with nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), UV-visible spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS). NTA results reflected a shift in particle size distribution due to aggregation. Furthermore, the light scattering intensity of each tracked particle measured by NTA demonstrated the presence of aggregates, even when a shift in particle size was not apparent. Mannoprotein and arabinogalactan behaved differently when combined with seed tannin. Mannoprotein formed large, highly light-scattering aggregates, while arabinogalactan exhibited only weak interactions with seed tannin. A 3% difference in alcohol concentration of the model solution (12 vs. 15% v/v) was sufficient to affect the interactions between mannoprotein and tannin when the tannin concentration was high. In summary, this study showed that NTA is a promising tool for measuring polydisperse samples of grape and wine macromolecules, and their aggregates under wine-like conditions. The implications for wine colloidal properties are discussed based on these results.