Fermentation science may offer new route to better lower-alcohol wine

Zachary Bean earns Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation scholarship

University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

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Zachary Bean, a master’s student in the department of food science for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, conducts research on reducing alcohol in wines. He will carry on his research next year at Graz University of Technology with an Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation scholarship.

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Credit: UADA photo

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — As health-conscious consumers continue to seek lower alcohol content in their wine, scientists like Zachary Bean are working on ways to both meet this demand and make it better.

In addition to finding ways to ferment grape juice without producing as much alcohol, Bean’s work also explores novel yeasts and methods to overproduce aromas to compensate for their eventual loss when reducing alcohol through grape juice dilution.

“Most low‑ or non‑alcohol wines are made by removing alcohol after fermentation,” said Bean, a master’s student in the department of food science for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas. “Since many of the aroma and flavor compounds in wine are very delicate, when you use heat or mechanical separation to create low or no alcohol wine, you can lose those volatiles or create cooked or burnt aromas.”

According to research, many wine consumers — particularly among younger generations — are drinking less due to a greater awareness of the risks associated with alcohol consumption and a focus on less calorie consumption. No- and low- alcohol wines have gained popularity, with global consumption of no-alcohol wines increasing by 13 percent per year and low-alcohol wines by 21 percent per year between 2018 and 2023, according to a 2025 Wine Australia market update using International Wine and Spirits statistics.

In January, Bean will attend Graz University of Technology in Austria for four months on an Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation scholarship to continue his research on fermentation-based strategies that reduce alcohol in wines.

As part of his master’s studies over the past year, Bean has worked with Renee Threlfall, an associate professor in enology and viticulture in the department of food science for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, and Bumpers College. Threlfall is co-director of the Center for Beverage Innovation.

“This research on using fermentation strategies to reduce ethanol is novel, especially in the impact of quality of our Vitis hybrid wines,” Threlfall said. “The Marshall Plan Foundation scholarship allows us to expand our research to the impact of volatile compounds and for Bean to work with a world-renowned scientist in Austria.”

Yeast selection and dilution

Bean’s goal is not alcohol-free wine, but meaningful reductions that drop alcohol in wine from 11 or 12 percent to 9 or 10 percent, or lower.

“That kind of reduction in alcohol can make a big difference,” Bean said. “It affects balance, consumer appeal and even tax classifications for wineries.”

Yeast selection and fermentation conditions can redirect sugar metabolism from ethanol production, he said. Because of this, his research includes screening non-traditional yeast species, using controlled aeration to influence yeast behavior, and evaluating a novel strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that overproduces aroma compounds to help maintain flavor in reduced-alcohol wines.

Reducing alcohol removal costs

Traditional alcohol removal technologies, such as spinning cone columns, can require costly investments or force wineries to ship wine offsite for processing. Bean said fermentation-based approaches could offer a far more accessible option, particularly for small and regional producers.

As part of the Marshall Plan Scholarship, Bean will analyze wine aroma compounds using gas chromatography‑mass spectrometry and gas chromatography‑olfactometry, linking volatile compound data with human aroma perception under the advisement of Erich Leitner, University Professor of food chemistry and head of the Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Food Chemistry.

After completing his master’s degree in December 2027, Bean hopes to continue working in fermentation and enology research.

Originally from Fort Smith, Bean earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Tulsa in 2024.

To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit aaes.uada.edu. Follow the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station on LinkedIn and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system. 

The Division of Agriculture is one of 22 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three system campuses.

Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.

New research indicates that in the future, trees may store less carbon than expected

An observed decoupling of photosynthesis from growth suggests that increased carbon uptake does not necessarily translate into greater wood production

Columbia Climate School

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It’s intuitive to think that if a tree is photosynthesizing, it’s also growing. But that’s not necessarily so—and a new study of oak trees, published in the journal Science Advances, found that even as they photosynthesize late into the year, their growth stops by mid-summer.

Much of the long-term carbon storage that forests provide depends on trees converting the carbon they absorb through photosynthesis into new wood. Many researchers have predicted that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels will enhance photosynthesis and stimulate tree growth, putting some of that planet-warming carbon into long-term storage inside wood. However, the observed decoupling of photosynthesis from growth suggests that increased carbon uptake does not necessarily translate into greater wood production. Instead, some of the absorbed carbon may be used to produce foliage or used in short-lived metabolic processes rather than being locked away long term, reducing the amount of carbon stored in forests compared with previous expectations.

The finding has climate implications.

“Right now, most models assume that if you have photosynthesis, you have growth. We find that’s not the case,” says lead author Mukund Palat Rao, an ecoclimatologist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which is part of the Columbia Climate School. “Just because there is more photosynthesis might not necessarily mean more tree growth in the future.”

During photosynthesis, plants absorb CO2 from the air and then use sunlight to power the conversion of CO2 and water into sugars. Oxygen is released back into the atmosphere while the carbon stays in the plant. In a tree, some of that carbon goes into the woody biomass of trunk, branches and roots. The rest goes into foliage and fruits and is temporarily stored as starch, or is converted into compounds that are released into the soil to feed microbial communities, make nutrients available for uptake and defend against pathogens.

Carbon stored in woody biomass may take decades, centuries or even millennia—depending on conditions—to re-enter the atmosphere, making it an important carbon sink. That also makes it important to understand the relationship between photosynthesis and tree growth. “Understanding how photosynthesis and growth are linked is very important from the perspective of understanding how forests will store carbon over long time scales,” says Rao.

Earlier research has suggested that carbon uptake and tree growth might not be synonymous, but detailed measurements were in short supply and the mechanisms unclear. To study the question, Rao and his colleagues used photosynthesis-detecting satellite imagery of trees at 137 sites across the eastern United States and California; readings from instruments that provided hour-by-hour measurements of treetop CO2 levels; and trunk-borne sensors that yielded real-time measurements of minute fluctuations in tree size. (Trees tend to expand at night as roots take up water, then shrink slightly in daytime as they transpire water, with the long-term trajectory adding up to growth.) They also drew on growth ring records and temperature data from 1950 to the present.

All this produced daily recordings of photosynthesis, carbon uptake and tree growth—and the researchers found that oak growth in their eastern sites generally took place from May through July, even though trees continued to photosynthesize well into October. Roughly 36 percent of all carbon assimilation through photosynthesis occurred after growth had stopped in late summer. At the California sites, oak grew from December through April, but growth slowed in mid-summer and ceased by August even as photosynthesis continued. About 26 percent of those trees’ annual carbon uptake occurred after growth ceased.

This makes mechanistic sense: when water is scarce, trees lose the internal water pressure they need to grow. “The moment you have dry and hot conditions, growth activity stops pretty instantly while photosynthesis seems to continue at a slightly decreased rate,” says Rao.

Some fraction of that post-growth carbon is used to kick-start growth the following year, says Rao. The rest is used to grow new leaves and roots or is oxidized to keep cells alive through winter. Exactly how much is sequestered long-term in woody biomass and how much is released at shorter time scales is unknown, but it seems likely that projections of trees growing larger and storing more carbon in a warmer, CO2-saturated world will need to be revisited.

The researchers also observed that the decoupling between photosynthesis and growth was especially pronounced in years when local climates were most variable, oscillating between extremes of wet and dry. This pattern is expected to become more common as the climate changes.

Rao and his colleagues are now studying whether the decoupling of photosynthesis and growth is taking place in other tree species, ecosystems and regions. Rao expects that decoupling will be found to varying degrees in different forest types and climates, but “I don’t really have answers yet,” he says. “There are many questions still left to address.”

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Journal

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.ady7139 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

New Research Indicates That in the Future, Trees May Store Less Carbon Than Expected

Article Publication Date

12-Jun-2026

Mountainous landscapes store far more carbon than previously thought, new research shows

The finding may help inform and support climate solutions

University of Oregon

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Hilly and mountainous landscapes have a much greater ability to store carbon in the soil than previously thought, according to a new study co-led by scientists at the University of Oregon. 

The finding, published June 12 in Science Advances, could help scientists better target natural approaches to addressing atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.  

Soil can hold onto carbon that might otherwise exist as atmospheric carbon dioxide, but the amount varies based on the soil’s thickness, texture and mineral composition.  

“There was a misconception that mountainous areas would not hold much carbon because they’re so rapidly eroding and there’s not much soil,” said Josh Roering, an earth scientist at the UO. “What we’re saying is, it’s actually the opposite. These areas can be impressive reservoirs of soil organic carbon.” 

The research was led by Brooke Hunter during her time as a doctoral student in Roering’s lab. Hunter is now an assistant professor at Appalachian State University.  

“When we think about terrestrial carbon, soil contains more carbon than vegetation and the atmosphere combined,” Hunter said. “In order to have an accurate understanding of carbon budgets, we need to know how much carbon is in the soil and where it’s most concentrated.” 

Geomorphology, Roering’s specialty, is the study of landforms and the processes that shape them, including the weathering of rock into soil and the erosion of soil from the landscape.  

“We have our own form of bookkeeping to determine the rate at which rock is converted into soil and how long the soil hangs out before it is transported into rivers and beyond,” Roering said. 

Mountainous areas have been understudied because it’s difficult to traverse the landscape and accurately measure the depth and composition of the soil. 

That’s made it harder to protect areas that are good carbon reservoirs by, for example, maintaining tree cover to prevent erosion. 

In addition, “there is a lot of movement these days on natural climate solutions for greenhouse gases,” Roering said. Examples include sprinkling minerals on the landscape to enhance rock weathering or seeding soils with nutrients so they better sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  

Better information about the amount of carbon already in the landscape can help scientists more accurately determine how much carbon might be stored through these efforts. 

The researchers studied the remnants of nearly 10,000 landslides in the Oregon Coast Range, ranging in age from 4 to 480,000 years, that have become stable repositories of soil and organic material. They augured holes into a representative half-dozen landslides to measure the density of carbon. From that data they created a timeline for all of the landslides and extrapolated a model to estimate carbon stored in landslides across the entire study area. 

Their results show that scientists have dramatically underestimated the amount of organic carbon in the soil of landslides. While past models for carbon storage in soil have typically assumed soil depths of 30 centimeters, the researchers found that landslides often contain soil deposits more than 5 meters, or 16 feet, deep.  

Thicker soils, they found, also contain higher carbon stocks than thinner soils. This is due to large amounts of fine-grained soils that provide more surface area to fix carbon due to thousands of years of weathering. 

“These deep weathering zones are really good at holding carbon,” Roering said. “The older they are, the more weathered they are and the thicker they are, and the more carbon they can store.”  

The researchers determined that stocks of carbon in the soil in deep-seated landslides are about twice as large as predicted by a previous global model. “Our research really emphasizes the importance of making better geomorphic maps and integrating our field with models making those predictions,” Roering said.  

Much of the past work focused on flat agricultural regions where deposit and erosion of soil is more predictable. By using models that take into account the shape of the landscape and how it has changed over time, scientists can more accurately determine soil depth and carbon density in mountainous regions, potentially opening up new approaches to natural climate solutions.  

“When it comes to soil management and natural climate solutions, there isn’t one miracle fix,” Hunter said. “Incorporating these models can help determine what specific methods might be effective at specific sites.”  

Added Roering: “If you are going to manage the landscape for carbon, you would want to know where the areas with high amounts of carbon are and prioritize management practices that preserve them.”

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Journal

Science Advances

Article Title

Widespread ancient bedrock landslide deposits facilitate deep weathering for storage and access of organic carbon

Article Publication Date

12-Jun-2026

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COMMONS

"What if there is no one to farm? KAIST reveals a hidden risk to future food security

THE END OF PEASANTRY

• KAIST and the University of Tokyo develop an agricultural land-use model based on climate, social, and economic data • Quantitatively proving that low birth rates and rural extinction can threaten future food production • Agricultural workforce 

Peer-Reviewed Publication

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

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Regional comparison of potential cropland supply and cropland demand area in 2030 and 2100. Overall, the results suggest that potential cropland supply is expected to exceed agricultural labor availability in many regions of the world. Nevertheless, chronic cropland supply deficits are projected in regions such as North Africa, Southern Europe, and Eastern Europe, even under the high-growth, high-emissions scenario (SSP5–RCP8.5). Temporary shortages are also anticipated in Western Europe and Russia; however, these regions are expected to possess sufficient adaptive capacity, supported by technological progress, to mitigate and eventually overcome such constraints.

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Credit: KAIST

The cause of future food shortages may not be a lack of farmland, but a shortage of agricultural workforce." Amid the reality of low birth rates and rural extinction, a joint international research team from KAIST has developed a new data-driven model that reflects the decline in the agricultural workforce into the analysis of future food security (the ability to stably produce and supply food required by the public). The research findings show that in the future, a shortage of agricultural workforce could act as a key constraint on farmland utilization in most regions of the world.

KAIST announced on June 12th that a research team led by Professor Hyungjun Kim from the Department of AI Future (adjunct at the Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy), in joint research with Professor Haewon Chon from the KI Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy (Graduate School of Green Growth and Sustainability), Professor Nicklas Forsell, and Professor Taikan Oki from the University of Tokyo in Japan, analyzed the impact of the agricultural workforce decline on future food production.

Until now, food security and climate change research have mainly focused on "how much farmland can be secured." The approach was to predict the future by calculating whether the climate and soil are suitable for farming and how much food demand will increase in the future.

However, the research team asked a different question: "What if there is farmland, but no one to farm it?" In fact, as low birth rates and urban concentration manifest in many countries, the rural population is declining. As economies develop, there is also a stronger tendency for people to move from agriculture to the manufacturing or service sectors. The research team determined that these changes could have a significant impact on future food production.

The research team performed the analysis using five future scenarios that combine SSP (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways) and RCP (Representative Concentration Pathways), which are representative international scenario frameworks that predict how future society and climate change will unfold. SSP is a scenario that assumes the direction of societal changes such as population growth, economic growth, and technological development, while RCP is a scenario that shows how the future climate will change depending on greenhouse gas emissions.

The research team newly reflected the agricultural workforce variable into these future outlooks. While previous predictions were mainly based on the land available for farming and food demand, this study simultaneously considered the actual number of people who will farm. In other words, the reality that food production can be limited if the agricultural workforce is insufficient, even if farmland and climate conditions are adequate, was reflected in the model.

The results of the analysis were even clearer than expected. In the future, it was shown that the farmland area that can actually be utilized will decrease due to the shortage of agricultural workforce in most regions of the world. In some regions, the lack of agricultural workforce was analyzed to act as a greater limiting factor than climate or soil.

The research team explained that the agricultural workforce problem may not be easily resolved even in a future where technological development occurs rapidly. Technological development increases the cultivable area per person. However, as industries grow, more people move to the manufacturing and service sectors, which conversely accelerates the decline of the rural population, leading to a reduced workforce and a phenomenon where farmland utilization becomes more restricted. These results suggest the importance of a sustainable development model.

In addition, it was confirmed that if international migration is restricted, developed countries will experience a shortage of agricultural workforce, while conversely, the agricultural population in some low-income countries may increase excessively. This shows that migration policies are also closely linked to food security. Professor Hyungjun Kim explained, "This study analyzed future food issues by considering not only climate and land, but also changes in people. It is a study showing that realistic social problems such as low birth rates and the avoidance of rural areas can have a significant impact on future food security and climate change responses."

This study, in which Ph.D. student Hongtak Lee from the Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy participated as the first author and Professor Hyungjun Kim from the Department of AI Future conducted as the corresponding author, was published on June 1 in the international academic journal 'Nature Sustainability'. Furthermore, in recognition of its academic importance, the study was prominently highlighted in a separate commentary titled "Farming needs more hands" (News & Views; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-026-01841-8) in the same journal. The commentary evaluated this research as "a first step that shifted the conventional question of 'how much land is there' to whether there are enough people and productivity per worker to cultivate that land." ※ Title of Paper: Agricultural Workforce as a Potential Bottleneck of Future Cropland Availability, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-026-01824-9 ※ Main Authors: Hongtak Lee (KAIST, First Author), Nicklas Forsell (KAIST), Taikan Oki (University of Tokyo), Haewon Chon (KAIST), Hyungjun Kim (KAIST, Corresponding Author)

This research was conducted with the support of the AI-based Future Climate Technology Development Framework Program, the Brain Pool Program, and the Plus Project (Ministry of Science and ICT) through the National Research Foundation of Korea.

  

Distribution of future cropland supply control factors under the high-growth, high-emissions scenario (SSP5–RCP8.5), including the dominant control factor by region (purple hexagons: labor-controlled; gray hexagons: transition of the dominant control factor from labor to environmental suitability) and the timing of control-factor transitions where applicable. The figure also presents the cumulative mismatch between cropland supply potential constrained by labor availability and that constrained by environmental suitability, together with region-specific indicators related to agricultural labor dynamics. Across most of Africa, with the exception of North Africa, environmental suitability is projected to become the primary control factor owing to increases in both agricultural labor availability and the population aged 15 years and older. In contrast, East Asia and Eastern Europe are projected to remain primarily labor-constrained despite rapid technological progress, as declining working-age populations are expected to reduce the availability of agricultural labor.

 

Research Image(AI-generated)

Credit

KAIST

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Journal

Nature Sustainability

DOI

10.1038/s41893-026-01824-9 

Method of Research

Meta-analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Agricultural Workforce as a Potential Bottleneck of Future Cropland Availability

 

Firms with independent board members are more willing to challenge risky CEO pay structures, says new research

Independent directors may be far more effective at controlling executive pay than critics claim, according to new research from the University of Surrey. Researchers found that companies with more independent board members move faster to correct risky CEO

University of Surrey

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Independent directors may be far more effective at controlling executive pay than critics claim, according to new research from the University of Surrey. Researchers found that companies with more independent board members move faster to correct risky CEO compensation structures. 

The study, published in European Financial Management, focused on “inside debt” which includes pensions and deferred compensation awarded to chief executives. Unlike bonuses or shares, these payments can encourage CEOs to become more cautious because their personal wealth becomes more tied to the long-term financial health of the company. 

The findings challenge the long-running argument that boards simply rubber-stamp executive pay packages shaped by powerful CEOs. Instead, the research suggests independent directors actively intervene when compensation arrangements drift too far from what is considered financially healthy for a company. 

The study analysed 6,357 firm-year observations across 942 US companies between 2006 and 2019. Using executive compensation, accounting and governance data, they examined how quickly firms adjusted CEO inside debt towards an estimated optimum level and whether board independence influenced that process. 

Researchers found that firms with a higher proportion of independent directors adjusted CEO compensation more quickly towards what they calculated to be the optimal level. The effect was strongest in companies with high growth opportunities, financially unconstrained firms and businesses led by overconfident chief executives where the risks of poor incentive structures are often greater.  Researchers measured how far CEO compensation had drifted from what they calculated to be the “optimal” level for each company, based on factors such as firm size, debt levels, growth opportunities, financial risk and CEO characteristics. They then tracked how quickly boards adjusted those pay structures back towards that benchmark over time.  

Researchers also discovered that companies with more independent directors adjusted risky CEO compensation structures significantly faster than firms with less independent boards. The effect was strongest in high-growth firms, financially secure businesses and companies led by overconfident chief executives where poor incentives can create greater risks for shareholders.  

The study also found that boards appear to make calculated trade-offs rather than blindly cutting or increasing compensation. When the risks linked to CEO inside debt were lower, independent boards moved more slowly, suggesting directors weigh the costs and benefits of changing pay structures rather than reacting automatically. 

Bonnie Buchanan, co-author of the study and Associate Dean (International – FABSS) and Professor of Finance at the University of Surrey, said: 

“There is a common perception that boards are often powerless when it comes to executive pay, particularly when dealing with influential CEOs. What we found is much more nuanced. Independent directors appear willing to step in and adjust compensation structures when they believe shareholders could be exposed to unnecessary risk.” 

Dr Shuhui Wang, co-author of the study and Senior Lecturer in Finance at the University of Surrey, said: 

“Executive compensation has become incredibly complex over the last two decades. Our findings suggest independent directors are not simply approving pay packages without scrutiny. They are making detailed decisions about when faster intervention is needed and when a slower approach makes more sense.” 

The research argues that inside debt has received far less public attention than share-based rewards despite having major influence over corporate decision-making. Because inside debt can encourage CEOs to become overly cautious, boards may use it strategically to balance risk-taking and long-term stability. 

The findings also suggest board independence mattered more than pressure from institutional investors or major shareholders when it came to adjusting executive compensation structures. 

Bonnie Buchanan continued: 

“This matters because executive pay shapes how companies behave. If boards get those incentives wrong, it can affect investment decisions, growth and ultimately shareholder value. Strong independent oversight appears to play an important role in keeping those incentives balanced.” 

ENDS 

Note to editors: 

• For interview with Bonnie Buchanan and Shuhui Wang, please contact: mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk 
• This study was written in collaboration with Tina Yang - Associate Professor of Finance at the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, University of South Florida 
• The full study has been published in: European Financial Management 

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Journal

European Financial Management

DOI

10.1111/eufm.70066 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Board Independence and Adjustment Speed of CEO Inside Debt