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Researchers at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, have developed a white wine that holds the same antioxidant content of red wine – believed to hold healthy benefits such as preventing heart attacks and fighting the common cold.
 
The key to the research lies in the use of grape skins. Red wine is made by fermenting the juice along with the skins. The skins give red wine its coloration and contain the highest concentration of polyphenols which are potent antioxidants. The researchers theorized that they could boost the antioxidant capacity of white wine by extracting more grape skin polyphenols during processing.
 
The Technion researchers obtained whole squeezed grapes and incubated them for up to 18 hours in the presence of alcohol before removing the skins. This resulted in a significant increase of white wine polyphenols up to six times the normal level and exhibited antioxidant activity similar to that of red wine.
 
Such has been the confidence in the findings that Israeli wine manufacturer Binyamina has begun manufacturing the healthier white wine according to this technique. The wine, which has the same taste, color and aroma of regular white wine, is expected to be sold in the United States by the end of the year.
 
Professor Michael Aviram, researcher at the Technion’s Faculty of Medicine commented: “White wine, unlike red wine does not contains the grape skin polyphenolic antioxidants as the skin is rapidly removed after grape squeezing. By using wine derived alcohol we were able to extract the grape polyphenols very rapidly during white wine preparation.
 
“There has been an incredible response from those that have heard about the research with many thinking of taking up drinking white wine more seriously!”

Prof. Youdim is the keynote speaker on the Launch Event of the Technion Society of the Netherlands on November 25, 2008.

He is incumbent of the Technion's Finkelstein Chair in Life Sciences and Pharmacology at the Technion, and the director of the Eve Topf and U.S. National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research and Teaching. He is known internationally for his research and drug development activities in depressive illness and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.  Following two decades of intense research, Profs. Youdim and John Finberg in collaboration with Teva Pharmaceuticals developed the Azilect drug which promises real hope for millions of patients suffering from Parkinson's Disease and is now being marketed worldwide.

Professor Youdim in London

Professor Youdim gave the prestigious Ron Arad Lecture in London on Monday evening.Professor Youdim was joined by the new Israel Ambassador to London, Ron Proser, and the family of kidnapped Technion student, Ehud Goldwasser.300 guests filled the Royal College of Physicians to hear from Professor Youdim, Director of the Eve Topf Neurodegenerative Disease Center at the Technion, who discussed the science behind Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, his discovery of anti-Parkinson drug rasagiline and the novel new drugs currently under development which will transform the lives of sufferers in the future.

On Monday afternoon, Professor Youdim gave a masterclass at the Science Museum to over 120 students from schools across London about his incredible research.His Excellency, Ron Proser, Israel's Ambassador commented: "The British Technion Society has been instrumental in showing the UK what the Technion has to offer in the way of technological advancement."The Technion is at the heart of Israel's high-tech industry and it has made a great contribution to Israel's prosperity.Israel is a tiny country but the Technion proves that in terms of science and education, we can stand shoulder to shoulder with giants."

Lois Peltz, Co-Chair of the British Technion Society, said: "Professor Youdim's research once again places the Technion at the forefront of scientific attainment.

Published on: 11/26/2007  by www.britishtechnionsociety.org