Experimental and modeling studies of ultrasound-assisted release of phenolics from oak chips into model wine

• Ultrasound was used to assist the release of phenolics from oak chips into model wine.
• The effect of acoustic energy density on release kinetics was not prominent.
• The increase of temperature can increase the total phenolic yield.
• The release kinetics were modeled by a second-order model and a diffusion model.

The enhancement of release of oak-related compounds from oak chips during wine aging with oak chips may interest the winemaking industry. In this study, the 25-kHz ultrasound waves were used to intensify the mass transfer of phenolics from oak chips into a model wine. The influences of acoustic energy density (6.3–25.8 W/L) and temperature (15–25 °C) on the release kinetics of total phenolics were investigated systematically. The results exhibited that the total phenolic yield released was not affected by acoustic energy density significantly whereas it increased with the increase of temperature during sonication. Furthermore, to describe the mechanism of mass transfer of phenolics in model wine under ultrasonic field, the release kinetics of total phenolics was simulated by both a second-order kinetic model and a diffusion model. The modeling results revealed that the equilibrium concentration of total phenolics in model wine, the initial release rate and effective diffusivity of total phenolics generally increased with acoustic energy density and temperature. In addition, temperature had a negative effect on the second-order release rate constant whereas acoustic energy density had an opposite effect.