Flavanol/lipid interaction: a novel molecular perspective in the description of wine astringency & bitterness and antioxidant action

Wine tannins play important roles in health and nutrition areas. They are known to interact strongly with saliva proteins and trigger astringency. We report herein the interaction of flavanols with lipids present in the human bolus and in buccal membranes. Strong interactions with lipids are reported and are thought to modulate both astringency and bitterness. Flavanols are also reported as strong antioxidants agents and a new NMR method is shown as being able of reporting their protective action on unsaturated lipids embedded in a membrane.