Purification and structural characterisation of lipid transfer protein from red wine and grapes

Lipid transfer proteins (LTP) play a major role in plant defence and are of particular interest due to their known ability to cause allergic reactions. These proteins are expressed in grapes and also remain detectable after vinification, especially in red wine. However, it remains unknown whether the protein undergoes any changes during the vinification process. Here, we present a purification method for LTPs from Dornfelder grapes and wine. By liquid-chromatography–mass spectroscopy (LC–MS/MS) we identified LTPs from two different species (Vitis vinifera and Vitis aestivalis). Additionally, the purified LTPs were characterised using spectrometric methods, confirming their high purity and structural stability during vinification. We conclude that LTPs are resistant to the alcohol content (13.5 vol%), acidic milieu of wine and other ingredients present during the vinification process, indicating that the allergenic potential of grape LTP is not diminished by the vinification process.