Screw cap wine closures provide many benefits in maintenance of wine quality over time, however acceptance of their use by purchasers has varied. This work first investigates how factors like age, gender, income and education affect the decision to purchase screw cap wines and to what extent these factors impact consumer decisions to bring screw cap wine to various social settings. The results of a questionnaire pooling attitudes and behaviors of wine purchasers (n=319) indicate that factors such as age, wine knowledge, income and gender influence a consumer’s decision to purchase screw cap wine. Education and income positively impact the acceptance of screw cap wines and the likelihood of purchasing them. Age has a negative effect on acceptance of screw cap wines in social situations. Gender was found to not be significant in regards to likelihood of screw cap wine purchase generally, however men tended to view screw cap wines as more acceptable in more social situations than women.

Orientador: Luis Carlos Paschoarelli / Resumo: A interação ‘homem-objeto’ é um tema de grande interesse para a prática do Design e da Ergonomia, visto que trata tanto de aspectos físicos quanto de aspectos de percepção. O presente estudo teve por objetivo realizar uma avaliação com atividades simuladas para verificar se a forma e a cor das embalagens influenciam os aspectos perceptivos da usabilidade e a transmissão de força de preensão manual. Foram realizados seis experimentos envolvendo 120 sujeitos brasileiros e 120 sujeitos portugueses, igualmente divididos entre jovens, adultos e idosos; e entre homens e mulheres. Os procedimentos metodológicos foram fundamentados em raciocínio indutivo, caracterizados por um estudo transversal com experimentação laboratorial. Foram avaliadas 5 embalagens de água mineral 500ml no Brasil e outras 5 embalagens com características semelhantes em Portugal. Os resultados apontam que o dispêndio de maior tempo para realização de uma tarefa, nem sempre, implica em menor satisfação dos usuários. Os materiais mais rígidos foram relacionados a uma melhor qualidade dos produtos. A presença de cintura nas embalagens foi um fator positivo, no entanto ela não pode estar abaixo do centro. A tampa muito baixa esteve relacionada à maior dificuldade de uso. A eficiência dos idosos foi significativamente menor em todos os casos. Diferentes diâmetros não influenciam o ato de despejo, porém influenciam diretamente a percepção quanto à facilidade de realização da tarefa. Os fatores determinantes para o p... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The 'man-object' interaction is a subject of great interest for the practice of Design and Ergonomics, as it deals with both physical and perceptual aspects. The main objective of the present study was to carry out an evaluation with simulated activities to verify if the shape and color of the packages influence the perceptual aspects of the usability and the transmission of manual gripping force. Six experiments were carried out involving 120 Brazilian and 120 Portuguese subjects, equally divided among youth, adults and elderly; and between men and women. The methodological procedures were based on inductive reasoning, characterized by a cross-sectional study with laboratory experimentation. Five packages were selected for the test in Brazil and another 5 packages with similar features for the test in Portugal. The results indicate that the expenditure of more time to perform a task, not always, implies a lower user satisfaction. The more rigid materials were related to a better product quality. The presence of a curved area in the packaging was a positive factor, however it cannot be below the center. The very low cap was related to the greater difficulty of use. The efficiency of the elderly was significantly lower in all cases. Different diameters do not influence the pouring act, but directly influence the perception regarding the ease of accomplishment of the task. The determining factors for the positioning of the hands were the center of mass and the shape of the prod... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

L’évolution des vins lors de la conservation en bouteille est un processus lent et complexe où les obturateurs jouent un rôle fondamental, conséquence directe de leur perméabilité à l’oxygène mais aussi des interactions physico-chimiques avec les constituants du vin.Dans un premier temps nous avons étudié l’effet de la conservation en bouteille des vins de Sauvignon blanc après 24 mois d’embouteillage. Dans cette étude, la combinaison des conditions de mise en bouteille et des taux de transfert d'oxygène à travers les bouchons ont eu un effet significatif sur le développement du Sauvignon après l'embouteillage. Les vins fermés hermétiquement en bouteille « ampoule » ou avec des obturateurs à très faible taux de transfert d'oxygène comme les capsules à vis, présentent les plus fortes concentrations en dioxyde de soufre, en acide ascorbique, et en thiols variétaux, mais aussi des niveaux élevés de sulfure d’hydrogène (H2S), qui ont complètement masqué le fruité des vins, par rapport au caractère réduit dominant. Les plus fortes concentrations en 3-sulfanyl-hexanol (3SH) ont été trouvées pour les vins présents dans les bouteilles « ampoules » suivi des bouteilles scellées avec des bouchons à vis saran et des bouchons agglomérés. Les teneurs les plus faibles en 3SH ont été trouvées pour les bouteilles scellées avec des bouchons synthétiques (Nomacorc classic). Le développement du vin à partir de deux mois semble être plutôt lié aux propriétés de perméabilité des différents obturateurs utilisés.Dans un deuxième temps nous avons voulu étudier l’incidence de sept types d’obturateurs (bouchon en liège : naturel, naturel colmaté, microaggloméré, ciré, bouchons synthétiques, capsules à vis : saran et saranex) sur des marqueurs chimiques d’oxydation et de réduction, sur les teneurs en oxygène du vin, ainsi que sur la composition phénolique et aromatique des vins issus de cinq cépages (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sauvignon blanc et Riesling). Nous avons vérifié que la concentration d’oxygène dans l’espace de tête après embouteillage varie selon le type d’obturateurs, celle-ci peut être jusqu’à trois fois plus importante dans le cas des capsules à vis. Les teneurs en oxygène apportées lors de la mise en bouteille pourraient être responsables de l’absence de discriminations des paramètres chimiques entre les différentes modalités d’obturateurs, après 24 mois de conservation en bouteille. Nous avons mis en évidence une évolution de la composition des vins, avec une diminution importante des concentrations de certains composés (certaines anthocyanes telles que la malvidine et la cyanidine-3-O-glucoside ont diminuées de 60%, des flavanols monomères et dimères présentent des diminutions de l’ordre de 20%) pour les cépages rouges et une augmentation pour d’autres composés, comme l’H2S ou la 3-méthyl-2,4-nonanedione (MND, augmentation de 10%) ou le 1,1,6-triméthyl-1,2-dihydronaphtalène (TDN), dans le cas du Riesling; il est intéressant de remarquer que l’évolution de ce dernier semble être dépendante du type de bouchon, alors que les taux d’autres composés comme le sulfure de diméthyl (DMS) ne semblent pas être affectés par l’obturateur.L’étude des interactions entre les différents obturateurs et les composés soufrés du vin, tel que le sulfure d’hydrogène, responsables des odeurs désagréables couramment appelés « odeurs de réduction » a été réalisée. Nous constatons pour la première fois l’existence d’une sorption/ « scalping » de 75% d’ H2S ou de DMS en solution, après 25 jours de macération par les bouchons en liège. Nous montrons que certains des obturateurs étudiés peuvent sorber/scalper ces molécules, en milieu modèle hydroalcoolique, ouvrant ainsi les portes à des futures expérimentations portant sur l’obturateur en tant que constituant actif d’un emballage jouant un rôle dans la composition, l’évolution et la perception sensorielle du vin. / Wine post-bottling evolution is a slow and complex process where the closures play a fundamental role as a consequence of their permeability to oxygen and of physicochemical interactions with the constituents of wine.Initially we studied the effect of conservation in bottle of Sauvignon Blanc wines after 24 months of bottling. In this study, the combination of the bottling conditions and rates of oxygen transfer through closures have had a significant effect on the development of Sauvignon after bottling. Wine stored in an airtight bottle or under closures allowing very low oxygen transfer, such as screw caps, had the highest concentrations of sulfur dioxide, ascorbic acid, and varietal thiols; these wines also had the highest levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with dominant reduced off-flavours masking their fruity character. The highest concentrations of 3-sulfanyl-hexanol (3SH) were found in wines contained in the airtight bottles followed by those sealed with screw caps saran and agglomerated corks. The lowest levels were found in bottles sealed with synthetic corks (Nomacorc classic). The development of wine after two months seems to be related to the permeability properties of the different plugs used.Secondly, we studied the impact of seven types of closures (natural cork, colmated cork, microagglomerated cork, natural cork with wax, synthetic, screw caps: saran and saranex) on oxidation and reduction chemical markers, on oxygen contents, as well as phenolic and aromatic composition of wines from five grape varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling). We observed that the oxygen concentration in the headspace after bottling varies with the type of closure, being up to three times higher in the case of screw caps. The oxygen introduced during bottling may be responsible for the lack of overall discrimination between chemical parameters of the different modalities of closures after 24 months of storage. We have demonstrated a change in the composition of wines, with a significant decrease in concentrations of certain compounds (anthocyanins like malvidin and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside were reduced by 60%, flavanol monomers and dimers decreased about 20%) for red grape varieties and an increase of other compounds such as H2S or 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione (MND), with an increase of 10% or 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene (TDN), in the case of Riesling. The evolution of the latter appears to be dependent on the type of closure, while rates of other compounds such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) remain unaffected.The interactions between different closures and sulfur compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide, responsible for the “reduction” off-flavours in wine were studied. We see for the first time the existence of a sorption/scalping, by cork stoppers, of 75% of H2S or DMS in solution, after 25 days of maceration. We show that some of the closures studied can sorb/scalp these molecules in wine-like media. This may have an impact on the composition, the development and sensory perception of wine, opening the door to future experiments regarding closures as active packaging constituents