A comprehensive study on the effect of bentonite fining on wine charged model molecules

•Four bentonites with diverse Na+/Ca2+ ratio were studied for wine fining processes.•The adsorption of egg albumin, polyphenols and riboflavin was investigated.•The most performing adsorbent material seems to be Na/Ca_0.27.•Albumin was removed within 120 min in 12%v/v ethanol/H2O and with swelled bentonite.•Polyphenols adsorption is increased due to mutual interaction with albumin molecules. In bottled wines, haze and turbidity are phenomena to be avoided. Since bentonite fining is a common process to clarify wines removing heat unstable proteins, a theoretical study on the adsorption of three Charged Model Molecules (CMMs, egg albumin, polyphenols and riboflavin) was carried out to deep comprehend this chemical phenomenon. Four bentonites were adopted and finely characterized together with the potential release of Na+ and Ca2+ cations, revealing suitable for RT albumin removal within 120 min. Better results in terms of adsorbed quantity were achieved by adopting 12%v/v EtOH/H2O solvent and by swelling bentonites for 24 h before use. With the most performing sample (Na/Ca_0.27), a comprehensive study on simultaneous adsorption of the three CMMs was performed, resulting in polyphenols adsorption increase due to their interactions with albumin. Notwithstanding the majority of albumin and riboflavin was successfully removed, ca. 40–50% of tested polyphenols was preserved.