Gastronomic Valorisation of a Sparkling Wine By-Product Through Innovative Vegan Vinaigrettes

Wine and food tourism has increasingly embraced the principles of the circular economy and sustainability. During the bottle-fermented production of sparkling wine, yeast encapsulated in calcium alginate beads gradually loses viability. After the secondary alcoholic fermentation, these beads are usually discarded. This pilot-scale study investigates how the wasted beads can be valorised by incorporating them into vegan vinaigrettes. The vegan vinaigrettes were developed on a laboratory scale with distinct flavour profiles, all containing 3.5% (w/w) calcium alginate beads: mint (V-Air), seaweed (V-Water), spicy (V-Fire) and mushroom (V-Earth). Forty untrained panellists assessed the samples on a nine-point hedonic scale and with Just-About-Right (JAR) scale. Viscosity and colour were also measured in the final samples. Vf-Fire and Vf-Earth vinaigrettes stood out in terms of overall appreciation, particularly colour and consistency, with Vf-Earth receiving the highest average score (7.10 ± 1.58). The presence of alginate beads was well appreciated, with an average score of 6.26 ± 2.14. Across all formulations, the average pH decreased from 3.75 ± 0.01 to 3.37 ± 0.01. This pH reduction benefits food safety. These vegan vinaigrettes offer a sustainable and innovative alternative for reusing sparkling winemaking waste as a by-product, with strong potential for gastronomic appeal among wine or food tourists.