Radiologists may not want to take their work home with them, but with the holiday season approaching, what if you could try a glass of wine "treated" with ultrasound to improve its taste and sensation?
Co-authors Andrea Natolino, PhD, and Emilio Celotti, PhD, from the University of Udine in Italy found that ultrasound used to treat red wine significantly affects the wine's acidity and taste sensations, while overall improving its taste, color, and texture by not degrading the wine's micronutrients. Their results were published on November 23 in LWT - Food Science and Technology.
"Ultrasound could be applied to finished red wines with the aim of accelerating aging reactions," The study authors wrote.
Ultrasound for clinical use is widely acknowledged for being cost-effective and noninvasive, as well as not emitting ionizing radiation. However, radiologists can use a break sometimes as well. That may not have been what Natolino and Celotti were going for in this study, but it could make for intriguing conversation over a glass.
Ultrasound's use outside the clinic has expanded to the food and drink industry. High-powered ultrasound has been looked at as a promising technology for several purposes in winemaking. It was recently approved for the treatment of crushed grapes, for example.
Winemaking is a long-term process that could take years for some wines, but don't tell that to consumers. Previous research suggests this consumer demand -- combined with the slow-moving aging process -- creates high costs for wineries. While adding oxygen and slow heating accelerates the aging process, they are specific to specialty wines or can dampen wine's flavor profiles if not carefully managed.
The researchers said ultrasound is a promising, eco-friendly technology for speeding up wine aging because it can encourage chemical and structural changes that most resemble that of natural aging.
Natolino and Celotti wanted to look at the effects of sonication on red wine, using a young Cabernet Sauvignon from 2019. The wine had the following initial characteristics: alcohol 12.5%; pH, 3.49; total acidity 5.3 g/L; and reducing sugars 3.8 g/L.
The team looked at different levels of ultrasound amplitude, including 30%, 60%, and 90% while making sure the wine was not subjected to extreme temperatures. Sonication times of two, six, and 10 minutes were also studied.
They found that polyphenols -- micronutrients that naturally occur in plants such as grapes used in winemaking -- were not degraded by sonication. They also found that increasing amplitude from 30% to 90% and sonication time from two to 10 minutes did not significantly change the main phenolic compounds found in grapes.
However, sonication did significantly increase the hydrochloric acid (HCl) index from 68.06 to 73.78. It also decreased the astringency index and particle size in all samples.
The researchers said that while finished wines can benefit from ultrasound, more studies are needed, including sensory evaluations and market research to better understand the industrial feasibility of this method for this specific purpose.
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
