Australian researchers have discovered a way to boost the amount of Vitamin C in grapes.

In association with colleagues in the US, a lecturer and student at the University of Adelaide's School of Agriculture, Food and Wine have identified an enzyme in grapes that helps convert Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, into tartaric acid.

As grapes ripen, their tartaric acid content increases, contributing greatly to the taste, tartness and aging potential of the fruit.

“We compared the acid content of 28 grape-related species and found one that produced no tartaric acid. This particular grape lacked one of the candidate enzymes that catalyses a key intermediate step of Vitamin C conversion,” Christopher Ford, senior lecturer at Adelaide said.

“By manipulating this enzyme, we propose that grapes may be modified in such a way that their Vitamin C content can be significantly increased,” he added.

The scientists believe this discovery could be of great benefit to the wine industry, which currently spends significant funds on adding tartaric acid during the production process.

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