METHOD FOR INCREASING THE CONTENT OF PHENOLS WITH BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY IN RED GRAPES, COMPRISING AN EXOGENOUS TREATMENT WITH AN ENANTIOMER OF METHYL JASMONATE DILUTED IN ETHANOL

摘要

The consumption of grapes provides many health benefits owing to the presence therein of polyphenolic compounds. The invention relates to a simple post-harvest method, in which red grapes are brought into contact exogenously with an enantiomer of methyl jasmonate diluted in ethanol. The method of the invention produces a substantial increase simultaneously in more than one phenolic compound with healthy biological activity in grapes, preferably polyphenols and, more preferably still, resveratrol and forms of quercetin, and provides an alternative to methods that use phytohormones as activation agents.