实验性酒瓶追踪氧气通过软木塞的移动

# 实验性酒瓶追踪氧气通过软木塞的迁移 来源：https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/experimental-wine-bottle-tracks-oxygen-moving-through-the-cork/ 瓶中的微量空气使得氧气和其他化学物质能够进出。 大多数人认为葡萄酒瓶中的软木塞只是一个简单的塞子，用来封住液体并隔绝外界。但近期发表在《科学进展》（Science Advances）上的一项研究中，一组法国科学家证明软木塞的作用远不止于此。通过调节氧气进出酒瓶的过程，它几乎起到了另一种配料的作用。 “二十年前，我们团队开始研究葡萄酒的氧化和陈酿及其所有参数，”托马斯·卡尔博维亚克（Thomas Karbowiak）说。“氧气通过软木塞的扩散正是这些参数之一。”卡尔博维亚克是法国勃艮第大学的化学家，也是该研究的资深作者。 ## 微型瓶实验 氧化是葡萄酒陈酿的关键驱动因素之一。缓慢、有限的氧气渗入有助于葡萄酒成熟，柔化涩口的单宁，并激发出复杂的香气。但如果过多氧气过快进入酒瓶，就会使葡萄酒变得陈旧、颜色发褐，口感不佳。这是因为氧气还会与酒精和酚类物质发生反应，其过程与切开的苹果变褐类似。 研究这一问题的难点在于，在标准的750毫升葡萄酒瓶中，液体体积和玻璃厚度使得在引入外部空气或干扰内部环境的情况下，难以精确隔离、监测和测量实时的氧气动力学。“真正的葡萄酒瓶是一个复杂的系统。我们想要一个更简单、更容易理解的东西。”该研究的第一作者、勃艮第大学研究员朱莉·沙努（Julie Chanut）说。 为了解决这个问题，该团队设计了一个定制实验装置，他们称之为微型瓶系统。“这个想法是要看清这个系统中究竟有什么机制在起作用，”沙努说。 该装置由小型玻璃小瓶组成，旨在模拟商用葡萄酒瓶颈的标准圆柱形几何结构。每个小瓶使用按比例缩小的软木塞密封，软木塞长度从6毫米到42毫米不等；内部可以精确充入气体或特定体积的模拟葡萄酒。通过减小液相和气相的总体积，人为放大了任何发生的氧气浓度变化。该系统就像一个化学放大镜，使科学家能够精确测量极其微妙的物理和化学机制，例如通过软木塞的释气，或者软木塞与葡萄酒界面的反应。 借助他们的微型瓶装置，团队将一半小瓶装入葡萄酒，另一半保持空瓶，用不同长度的软木塞密封，放入传感器，然后让它们陈酿18个月。结果发现，小瓶中的氧气动力学远比简单、稳定的软木塞泄漏要复杂得多。 ## 呼吸的四个阶段 在实验过程中，研究人员了解到氧气通过软木塞的传输有四个阶段，从软木塞被压入瓶颈的那一刻开始。第一阶段持续在小瓶被塞上软木塞后的最初15天。“这是模拟葡萄酒液相和气相之间的平衡，”沙努说。在密封容器中陈酿的葡萄酒与因软木塞插入而被捕获并加压的微量空气之间，气体含量存在差异。在实验中，溶解在小瓶液相中的氧气逃逸回气相。 接下来的第二阶段则令人有些意外。沙努的团队观察到，在最初六个月里，进入葡萄酒的大部分氧气并非来自外部环境。事实证明，氧气来自软木塞本身，从软木塞细胞结构中的微小空间扩散出来。软木塞基本上是在向瓶内释气。 复杂图形的图像，其中总氧水平受到三种独立趋势的影响。(https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Graphical_abstract_oxygen_transfer_wine_bottle.png) 三个因素共同影响着总氧水平，且这些水平随时间变化。 三个因素共同影响着总氧水平，且这些水平随时间变化。图片来源：Chanut 等人。(https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/experimental-wine-bottle-tracks-oxygen-moving-through-the-cork/%3Cp%3EMost%20people%20perceive%20a%20cork%20in%20a%20bottle%20of%20wine%20as%20a%20simple%20plug%20meant%20to%20keep%20the%20liquid%20in%20and%20the%20outside%20world%20out.%20In%20the%20recent%20study%20published%20in%20Science%20Advances,%20a%20team%20of%20French%20scientists%20demonstrated%20the%20cork%20is%20way%20more%20than%20that.%20By%20regulating%20the%20oxygen%20transfer%20into%20and%20out%20of%20the%20wine%20bottle,%20it%20works%20almost%20as%20another%20ingredient.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3E%E2%80%9CTwenty%20years%20ago,%20our%20group%20focused%20on%20the%20oxidation%20and%20aging%20of%20wine%20and%20all%20its%20parameters,%E2%80%9D%20says%20Thomas%20Karbowiak.%20%E2%80%9COxygen%20diffusion%20through%20cork%20stoppers%20is%20one%20of%20these%20parameters.%E2%80%9D%20Karbowiak%20is%20a%20chemist%20at%20the%20University%20of%20Burgundy,%20France,%20and%20the%20senior%20author%20of%20the%20study.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EThe%20mini-bottle%20experiment%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EOxidation%20is%20one%20of%20the%20key%20drivers%20of%20wine%20ageing.%20A%20slow,%20limited%20ingress%20of%20oxygen%20helps%20wine%20mature,%20smoothing%20out%20harsh%20tannins%20and%20bringing%20out%20an%20aromatic%20complexity.%20But%20when%20too%20much%20oxygen%20gets%20into%20the%20bottle%20too%20quickly,%20it%20can%20make%20the%20wine%20stale,%20brownish%20in%20color,%20and%20unpleasant%20to%20drink.%20That%E2%80%99s%20because%20it%20will%20also%20react%20with%20alcohol%20and%20phenols%20in%20the%20same%20process%20that%20makes%20a%20cut%20apple%20turn%20brown.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EThe%20problem%20with%20trying%20to%20study%20this%20is%20that,%20in%20a%20standard%20750%20ml%20wine%20bottle,%20the%20volume%20of%20liquid%20and%20the%20thickness%20of%20the%20glass%20make%20it%20difficult%20to%20accurately%20isolate,%20monitor,%20and%20measure%20real-time%20oxygen%20kinetics%20without%20introducing%20external%20air%20or%20disrupting%20the%20internal%20environment.%20%E2%80%9CThe%20real%20bottle%20of%20wine%20is%20a%20complex%20system.%20We%20wanted%20something%20simpler%20and%20easier%20to%20understand,%E2%80%9D%20says%20Julie%20Chanut,%20a%20researcher%20at%20the%20University%20of%20Burgundy%20and%20lead%20author%20of%20the%20study.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3ETo%20bypass%20this%20issue,%20the%20team%20designed%20a%20custom%20experimental%20rig%20they%20called%20the%20miniature%20bottle%20system.%20%E2%80%9CThe%20idea%20was%20to%20see%20what%20mechanisms%20are%20at%20work%20in%20this%20system,%E2%80%9D%20Chanut%20explains.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EThe%20setup%20consisted%20of%20a%20small%20glass%20vials%20designed%20to%20mimic%20the%20standard%20cylindrical%20geometry%20of%20a%20commercial%20wine%20bottleneck.%20Each%20vial%20was%20sealed%20using%20scaled-down%20cork%20stoppers%20ranging%20in%20length%20from%20six%20to%2042%20millimeters;%20the%20interior%20could%20be%20precisely%20loaded%20with%20either%20gas%20or%20a%20specific%20volume%20of%20model%20wine.%20The%20reduction%20in%20the%20total%20volume%20of%20both%20the%20liquid%20and%20gas%20phases%20artificially%20amplified%20any%20oxygen%20concentration%20changes%20that%20occurred.%20The%20system%20acted%20as%20a%20chemical%20magnifying%20glass%20that%20enabled%20the%20scientists%20to%20precisely%20measure%20extremely%20subtle%20physical%20and%20chemical%20mechanisms%20like%20outgassing%20through%20the%20cork%20or%20the%20reactions%20at%20the%20interface%20between%20the%20cork%20and%20the%20wine.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EArmed%20with%20their%20miniature%20bottle%20setup,%20the%20team%20loaded%20half%20of%20the%20vials%20with%20wine,%20left%20the%20other%20half%20empty,%20sealed%20them%20with%20the%20selection%20of%20different%20length%20corks,%20filled%20them%20with%20sensors,%20and%20left%20them%20for%2018%20months%20to%20age.%20It%20turned%20out%20the%20oxygen%20dynamics%20in%20the%20vials%20was%20way%20more%20complex%20that%20a%20simple,%20steady%20leak%20through%20the%20cork.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EFour%20phases%20of%20breathing%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EDuring%20the%20experiment,%20the%20researchers%20learned%20there%20are%20four%20stages%20of%20oxygen%20transfer%20through%20the%20cork,%20which%20starts%20the%20moment%20a%20cork%20is%20rammed%20into%20a%20bottleneck.%20The%20first%20phase%20lasted%20for%20the%20initial%2015%20days%20after%20the%20vials%20were%20corked.%20%E2%80%9CIt%20was%20an%20equilibration%20between%20the%20liquid%20phase%20of%20the%20model%20wine%20and%20the%20gas%20phase,%E2%80%9D%20Chanut%20says.%20There%20are%20differences%20in%20the%20gas%20content%20between%20wine%20that%20had%20been%20aged%20in%20sealed%20containers,%20and%20the%20small%20bit%20of%20air%20that%20gets%20trapped%20and%20pressurized%20by%20the%20insertion%20of%20the%20cork.%20In%20the%20experiment,%20the%20oxygen%20dissolved%20in%20the%20liquid%20phase%20in%20the%20vials%20escaped%20back%20to%20the%20gas%20phase.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EThe%20second%20phase%20that%20followed,%20though,%20was%20where%20things%20got%20a%20little%20more%20surprising.%20Chanut%E2%80%99s%20team%20observed%20that,%20during%20the%20first%20six%20months,%20the%20majority%20of%20oxygen%20that%20was%20getting%20into%20the%20wine%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20coming%20from%20the%20outside%20environment.%20The%20oxygen,%20it%20turned%20out,%20was%20coming%20from%20the%20cork%20itself,%20diffusing%20out%20of%20the%20microscopic%20spaces%20in%20the%20cork%E2%80%99s%20cellular%20structure.%20The%20cork%20was%20basically%20outgassing%20into%20the%20bottle.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EThis%20was%20also%20where%20the%20researchers%20found%20the%20first%20differences%20between%20their%20samples%E2%80%94vials%20sealed%20with%20longer%20corks%20were%20getting%20more%20oxygen%20because%20the%20bigger%20corks%20contained%20more%20oxygen%20than%20the%20short%20ones.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EThe%20moment%20when%20the%20cork%20became%20an%20ingredient,%20rather%20than%20just%20a%20seal,%20came%20after%20around%20four%20months%20into%20the%20experiment,%20when%20it%20started%20to%20chemically%20interact%20with%20the%20wine.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EIn%20the%20vials%20where%20the%20model%20wine%20was%20left%20in%20contact%20with%20the%20cork,%20the%20liquid%20began%20to%20act%20as%20a%20solvent,%20extracting%20phenolic%20compounds%20out%20of%20the%20cork.%20These%20compounds%20included%20gallic%20acid,%20ellagic%20acid,%20and%20protocatechuic%20acid,%20all%20of%20which%20started%20bleeding%20into%20the%20wine.%20Once%20there,%20they%20acted%20as%20chemical%20scavengers%20that,%20catalyzed%20by%20trace%20metals%20like%20iron%20and%20copper,%20reacted%20with%20the%20oxygen%20released%20from%20the%20outgassing%20cork.%20The%20process%20caused%20a%20noticeable%20decrease%20in%20the%20wine%E2%80%99s%20oxygen%20content%E2%80%94the%20cork%20was%20effectively%20deploying%20chemicals%20that%20consumed%20the%20oxygen%20it%20had%20previously%20released.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EEventually,%20after%2015%20months,%20the%20wine%20settled%20into%20the%20fourth,%20long-haul%20phase.%20Here,%20oxygen%20from%20the%20outside%20environment%20steadily%20and%20slowly%20permeated%20through%20the%20cork.%20In%20the%2018%3Csup%3Eth%3C/sup%3E%20month,%20at%20the%20end%20of%20the%20experiment,%20the%20team%20noted%20that%20in%20vials%20sealed%20with%20longer%20corks%20(above%2030%20millimeters),%20the%20rate%20of%20oxygen%20transfer%20during%20this%20last%20phase%20was%20so%20low%20that%20the%20change%20was%20barely%20noticeable.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3E%E2%80%9CBecause%20we%20used%20model%20wine%20in%20the%20experiment%20and%20focused%20on%20oxygen%20transfer,%20we%20didn%E2%80%99t%20do%20any%20tasting%20tests,%E2%80%9D%20Karbowiak%20acknowledged.%20But%20oxygenation%20does%20matter%20for%20taste%20and,%20Karbowiak%20claims,%20the%20team%20is%20already%20getting%20a%20lot%20of%20interest%20from%20both%20wine%20makers%20and%20cork%20manufacturers.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EThe%20perfect%20moment%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3E%E2%80%9CWine%20is%20a%20very%20particular%20case%20of%20a%20product%20without%20a%20shelf%20life.%20So,%20the%20question%20is%20when%20should%20I%20drink%20my%20wine?%E2%80%9D,%20Karbowiak%20says.%20%E2%80%9CAnd%20actually,%20we%20are%20not%20able%20to%20answer%20this%20question.%E2%80%9D%20His%20team%20hopes%20that%20obtaining%20detailed%20data%20on%20how%20specific%20types%20and%20dimensions%20of%20stoppers%20manage%20wine%E2%80%99s%20oxygenation%20after%20bottling%20may%20one%20day%20enable%20wineries%20and%20cork%20manufacturers%20to%20solve%20this%20problem.%20But%20there%E2%80%99s%20much%20more%20we%20need%20to%20learn%20before%20we%20get%20there.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EIn%20the%20future,%20Karbowiak%E2%80%99s%20lab%20wants%20to%20focus%20on%20quantifying%20the%20exact%20balance%20and%20interplay%20between%20the%20four%20oxygen%20transfer%20mechanisms%20they%20discovered.%20While%20the%20team%20isolated%20the%20individual%20phases,%20determining%20how%20they%20work%20with%20different%20types%20of%20corks%20and%20varying%20environmental%20aging%20conditions%20remains%20unknown.%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EAlso,%20because%20cork%20is%20an%20inherently%20variable%20biological%20material,%20scientists%20want%20to%20examine%20how%20its%20properties%20change%20over%20several%20years%20of%20storage.%20For%20Karbowiak%20and%20his%20team,%20the%20goal%20is%20to%20develop%20methods%20to%20evaluate%20a%20wine%E2%80%99s%20initial%20oxidative%20potential%20so%20that%20winemakers%20can%20pair%20a%20specific%20vintage%20with%20a%20stopper%20that%20guarantees%20desired%20taste%20at%20a%20precise%20future%20date.%20%E2%80%9CWe%20need%20to%20know%20how%20much%20oxygen%20the%20wine%20should%20contain%20when%20it%20is%20optimal%20for%20tasting,%E2%80%9D%20Karbowiak%20says%20%E2%80%9CIf%20you%20have%20that%20information,%20you%20can%20select%20the%20stopper%20you%20need%20for%20the%20right%20preservation%20over%20a%20specific%20period%20of%20time%20to%20pinpoint%20the%20moment%20your%20wine%20is%20at%20its%20best.%E2%80%9D%3C/p%3E%20%3Cp%3EScience%20Advances,%202026.%20%C2%A0DOI:%20%3Ca%20href=%22http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aed3023%22%3E10.1126/sciadv.aed3023%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E) 研究人员也在此发现了样本间的首个差异——用较长软木塞密封的小瓶获得了更多氧气，因为较大的软木塞比较短的软木塞含有更多氧气。 大约在实验进行到四个月时，软木塞开始与葡萄酒发生化学相互作用，此时它不再仅仅是密封件，而变成了一种配料。 在模拟葡萄酒与软木塞接触的小瓶中，液体开始充当溶剂，从软木塞中提取酚类化合物。这些化合物包括没食子酸、鞣花酸和原儿茶酸，它们都开始渗入葡萄酒中。一旦进入酒中，它们便充当化学清除剂，在铁和铜等微量金属的催化下，与软木塞释气释放的氧气发生反应。这一过程导致葡萄酒中的氧含量显著下降——软木塞实际上是在利用化学物质消耗它之前释放的氧气。 最终，在15个月后，葡萄酒进入了第四个长期阶段。此时，来自外部环境的氧气稳定而缓慢地渗透过软木塞。在实验结束的第18个月，研究团队注意到，在用较长软木塞（超过30毫米）密封的小瓶中，这一最后阶段的氧气传输速率非常低，以至于变化几乎不可察觉。 “因为我们在实验中使用了模拟葡萄酒，并专注于氧气传输，所以没有进行任何品尝测试，”卡尔博维亚克承认。但氧化确实会影响口感，而且卡尔博维亚克声称，团队已经引起了酿酒师和软木塞制造商的极大兴趣。 ## 完美时刻 “葡萄酒是一种非常特殊的产品，没有保质期。所以问题在于，我什么时候该喝我的酒？”卡尔博维亚克说。“而实际上，我们还无法回答这个问题。”他的团队希望，通过获取关于特定类型和尺寸的瓶塞如何在装瓶后管理葡萄酒氧化过程的详细数据，有朝一日能使酒庄和软木塞制造商解决这个问题。但在那之前，我们还需要了解很多。 未来，卡尔博维亚克的实验室希望专注于量化他们发现的四种氧气传输机制之间的精确平衡与相互作用。虽然团队分离出了各个阶段，但确定它们如何与不同类型软木塞以及不同环境陈化条件协同作用仍然未知。 此外，由于软木塞本质上是一种多变的生物材料，科学家们希望研究其性质在数年储存过程中的变化。对于卡尔博维亚克和他的团队而言，目标是开发评估葡萄酒初始氧化潜力的方法，以便酿酒师能够将特定年份的葡萄酒与能够保证在未来某个精确日期达到理想口感的瓶塞配对。“我们需要知道，葡萄酒在达到最佳品尝状态时应该含有多少氧气，”卡尔博维亚克说。“如果有了这些信息，你就可以选择所需的瓶塞，在特定时间段内进行正确的保存，从而精准定位你的葡萄酒达到最佳状态的时刻。” 《科学进展》，2026年。DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aed3023">10.1126/sciadv.aed3023</a>