Study of volatile aroma components in young Tokaji Aszu wines by GC-MS

Summary “Tokaji Aszu”. is the most famous Hungarian wine type with a very delicious, unique aroma. Tokaji Aszu wines are produced from noble rotten grapes by a special vinification technology. In the last few years certain wineries have made an effort to introduce some changes into this traditional process. The present work examines the effect of different vinification technologies on some aroma components in one year old Aszu wines. The volatile aroma components were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using a Supelcowax 10 60m×0.32 mm capillary column. Wine samples were extracted with Freon 11 prior to the analysis. The chromatograms contained 150–190 peaks. About 40 aroma components were used for comparison of the wines. The results show some limited changes in the aroma composition of the wines due to vinification technological changes. Higher levels of several hydroxy-, oxo-, dicarboxylic acid esters and lactones were found in Aszu wines produced in the traditional way. Attempts have been made to compare instrumental data to sensory properties of the wines. Presented at Balaton Symposium on High Performance Separation Methods, Siófok, Hungary, September 1–3, 1999     

Study of biologically active amines in grapes and wines by HPLC

Summary The biologically active amines agmatine, cadaverine, histamine, phenethylamine, putrescine, spermidine, and tyramine have been determined in different varieties of grape, aszu grape, wine and aszu wine from the Tokaj region of Hungary. Ion pairs formed between the amines and octanesulphonic acid were separated by liquid chromatography on a μBondapak C₁₈ reversed-phase column, and spectrofluorimetric detection was performed after post-column derivatization witho-phthalaldehyde and 2-mercaptoethanol. The method was linear for the amines between 0.1 and 10 mg L⁻¹, and for spermidine between 1 and 30 mg L⁻¹. Comparison of the results revealed that the qualitative and quantitative content of biologically active amines was mostly determined by the vintage of the wine and the technology used for wine-making. The biogenic amine content of Tokaj wines is well below suggested limits for any of the amines, showing that the wine-making technology of the Tokaj region is of high quality. The levels of biologically active amines (identified and quantified by HPLC) in grapes, wines and aszu wines can provide useful information about the weather, growth ofBotrytis cinerea in Tokaj, and aspects of the methods used for wine-making. Presented at Balaton Symposium on High Performance Separation Methods, Siófok, Hungary, September 1–3, 1999     

Headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in the analysis of the aroma constituents of 'Cannonau of Jerzu' wine

"Cannonau of Jerzu" wine is a typical Sardinian product, obtained from only one particular grape variety. Its aroma profile is highly characteristic from the organoleptic point of view but, until now, no analytical investigation of the aroma components has been reported. This aspect has been studied by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Using this approach, 76 abundant aroma components were identified. The results thus obtained show on one hand that the terpene profile is, as expected, dependent on the quality of the grapes (in terms of selection before vintage), and, on the other, that some components are strongly dependent on the production and ageing method.     

Effect of maturation in small oak casks on the volatility of red wine aroma compounds

Wood maturation of red wine produces complex interactions between oak extracted compounds and pre-existing components in wine. Wood contributes with some aroma volatiles; but the whole volatile fraction, including the volatiles extracted from grape or produced during fermentation, could be involved in interactions with the non-volatile fraction. Samples of red wine with increasing time of wood contact, matured in 25 l casks of new American oak, were analysed on their volatile composition both in solution and headspace, and phenolic components. There was an increase of acetic acid and acetate esters as the time of wood contact increased. On the other hand, ethyl esters decreased as the time in wood increased. Some volatiles showed different behaviour when comparing their relationship between headspace and solution from two different casks, even though they were treated as replicates. This different evolution among casks was also consistent with different evolution of phenolic compounds, suggesting that there was an interaction among the volatile fraction and phenolic components.     

Wine flavor: chemistry in a glass

Although hundreds of chemical compounds have been identified in grapes and wines, only a few compounds actually contribute to sensory perception of wine flavor. This critical review focuses on volatile compounds that contribute to wine aroma and provides an overview of recent developments in analytical techniques for volatiles analysis, including methods used to identify the compounds that make the greatest contributions to the overall aroma. Knowledge of volatile composition alone is not enough to completely understand the overall wine aroma, however, due to complex interactions of odorants with each other and with other nonvolatile matrix components. These interactions and their impact on aroma volatility are the focus of much current research and are also reviewed here. Finally, the sequencing of the grapevine and yeast genomes in the past approximately 10 years provides the opportunity for exciting multidisciplinary studies aimed at understanding the influences of multiple genetic and environmental factors on grape and wine flavor biochemistry and metabolism (147 references).     

Monitoring of yeast population isolated during spontaneous fermentation of Moravian wine

In enology, yeasts play an important role in the characteristics of the final product. They are predominant in the biochemical interaction with components of must. Rapid identification of the yeast population is necessary for fermentation process monitoring and for obtaining a good quality wine. The main goal of this study was the isolation and characterisation of the yeast microbial community naturally present on grape berries, leaves and occurring during the spontaneous fermentation process of the white wine Veltlin green from the South Moravian region, Czech Republic. The results, based on PCR-RFLP of the 5.8S-ITS region of rDNA, PCR-fingerprinting using microsatellite oligonucleotide primers (GAG)₅, (GTG)₅, (GAC)₅, and M13 primer, showed great diversity of the yeast population. Including grape berries and fermented must, the following yeast species were identified: Hanseniaspora uvarum, Aureobasidium pullulans, Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Torulaspora delbrueckii, a number of Pichia species such as P. fermentans, P. membranifaciens, P. kluyveri, also Sporidiobolus salmonicolor, Rhodosporidium toruloides, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Rhodotorula glutinis as well as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces bayanus. Monitoring of the yeast strains during the wine fermentation process of traditional Moravian wine can contribute to the improvement of wine quality.     

Headspace solid-phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for profiling free volatile compounds in Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and wines

The complex aroma of wine is derived from many sources, with grape-derived components being responsible for the varietal character. The ability to monitor grape aroma compounds would allow for better understanding of how vineyard practices and winemaking processes influence the final volatile composition of the wine. Here, we describe a procedure using GC–MS combined with headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) for profiling the free volatile compounds in Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Different sample preparation (SPME fiber type, extraction time, extraction temperature and dilution solvent) and GC–MS conditions were evaluated to optimize the method. For the final method, grape skins were homogenized with water and 8 ml of sample were placed in a 20 ml headspace vial with addition of NaCl; a polydimethylsiloxane SPME fiber was used for extraction at 40 °C for 30 min with continuous stirring. Using this method, 27 flavor compounds were monitored and used to profile the free volatile components in Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at different maturity levels. Ten compounds from the grapes, including 2-phenylethanol and β-damascenone, were also identified in the corresponding wines. Using this procedure it is possible to follow selected volatiles through the winemaking process.     

Aromatic components produced by non-Saccharomyces Cerevisiae derived from natural fermentation of grape

Aromatic components are important functional products during the wine fermentation process. In the current study, nine strains (Y10, Y5, Y21, Y2, Y19, Y16, Y3, Y13 and Y4) of non-Saccharomyces were isolated from Cabernet Sauvignon grape wine. Aromatic components from Cabernet sauvignon-fermented wine were determined the phylogenetic evolution status of different non-Saccharomyces based on 26S rDNA and D1/D2 sequence analysis and analysed by a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis, and they were grouped into one category with four different yeast genus which were Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Brettanomyces naardenensis, Pichia guilliermondi and Candida fermentati. A total of 102 kinds of aroma components were detected, including 39 kinds of esters, 31 kinds of alcohols, 8 kinds of ketones, 10 kinds of alkanes, 15 kinds of acids and 4 kinds of other aroma substances.     

Comparison of micro-scale simultaneous distillation-extraction and stir bar sorptive extraction for the determination of volatile organic constituents of grape juice

Traditional micro-scale simultaneous distillation-extraction (SDE) and stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) were compared for their effectiveness in the extraction of volatile organic compounds in a synthetic grape juice and a real grape juice (Huxelrebe, a variety of half Muscat ancestry) from an English vineyard. The novel immersion-mode SBSE method, using stir bars with PDMS sorbent, was optimised using the synthetic grape juice. Although mean percent relative recoveries and reproducibilities (%CV) of the SBSE method were inferior to SDE (28.4 and 8.5%, respectively, against 86.9 and 6.3%), the former method proved to be significantly more sensitive: 126 aroma compounds in Huxelrebe grape juice were identified using SBSE, against 98 using SDE. This allowed the identification of a number of volatile components that have not been reported previously in the juice or wine from the grapes of Muscat varieties.     

Comparison of volatile constituents extracted from model grape juice and model wine by stir bar sorptive extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) method coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was optimised for the analysis of volatile components of a model wine, based on a previously optimised method used for analysis of the same components in model grape juice. The presence of ethanol in the model wine sample matrix resulted in decreased sensitivity of the method toward most of the volatile constituents. Mean percent relative recoveries and reproducibilities (%CV) were 22.8% and 7.1%, respectively, compared with 28.4% and 8.5% for model grape juice. The mean limit of detection (LoD) ratio (juice:wine) was 0.25. Similar sensitivities for the two sample matrices using this method were achieved by changing the split ratio from 20:1 (grape juice) to 5:1 (wine), giving a mean limit of detection ratio (juice:wine) of 1.0, thus allowing direct comparison of chromatograms of volatile components in the two matrices. This enabled direct comparisons of grape juices and the wines derived from them by alcoholic yeast fermentation. The influence of ethanol concentration in the range 9-15% on method sensitivity is discussed, using an overlay of the total ion chromatograms. The use of a gas saver device for the 5:1 split ratio analysis of desorbed model wine aroma compounds is discussed in terms of preventing extraneous reaction of sorbent and stationary phases with air during analysis.     

Some advances in the knowledge of grape, wine and distillates chemistry as achieved by mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry plays a very important role in acquiring knowledge of the chemistry of grape and its derivative products. By liquid mass spectrometry, anthocyanins of grape were studied, and in hybrid grape extracts, delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin and malvidin 3-O-(6-O-p-coumaroyl)-5-O-diglucosides were found. A semiquantitative procedure to estimate the amounts and percentages of monoglucoside and diglucoside anthocyanins without chromatography was developed. By gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS), aroma compounds of grape, wine and the distillate Italian grappa were studied, and molecular structures characterized. The representative aroma profile of Muscat grape was characterized by 23 terpenols, present in both free and bonded form, and direct correlation between aroma and genetic profile permitted to distinguish between different Muscat grape varieties. Aroma of Italian grappa resulted from and was characterized by several compounds linked to the grape variety, such as vitispiranes, terpenols, ethyl cinnamate, salicylic esters, benzaldehyde and farnesol. Synthesis of O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)-hydroxylamine (PFBOA) derivatives and GC/MS analysis resulted in a sensitive and selective method to study carbonyl compounds at the low levels occurring in wine.     

Phenolic concentrations and antioxidant properties of wines made from north american grapes grown in china

The characteristics of wine phenolics found in several North American and (for comparison) European grape cultivars grown in China were analyzed. This was done to find non-Vitis vinifera wines with prominent features in order to diversify the kinds of wines. The phenolic richness and antioxidant activity decreased in the order: red > rose > white wines. In the red wines, the American grape 'Cynthiana' had the highest total concentrations of phenols, anthocyanins, flavonols and phenolic acids, as well as antioxidant capacity, followed by the French hybrid 'Chambourcin', the lowest were detected in two European grape varieties, 'Merlot' and 'Cabernet Sauvignon', while the total flavon-3-ols levels were reversed among these red grape cultivars. The highest concentration of stilbenes out of all the wines analyzed was found in the 'Merlot' variety. There were significant differences among wine phenolic compositions between North American and European grape cultivars. The antioxidant activities were significantly related to the concentrations of total phenols (r2 = 0.996), anthocyanins (r2 = 0.984), flavonols (r2 = 0.850) and gallic acid (r2 = 0.797). The prominent features of wine aroma and nutrition could make the American grape wines attractive to consumers. It is therefore necessary to perform further research on cultural practices and wine making involving these grapes.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of the 13C/12C abundance ratios in vine plants and wines depending on regional climate factors (Krasnodar krai and Rostov oblast, Russia)

Distribution of ¹³C/¹²C isotopes in vegetative (roots, grapevine, leaves) and generative (berries) parts of vine plants of the West European genetically different varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Aligoté growing on soils of Krasnodar krai and Rostov oblast, as well as autochthonous varieties Sibirkovy and Krasnostop Zolotovsky growing in Rostov oblast, has been studied using isotopic mass spectrometry methods. It has been shown that the variations of δ¹³C values in plant tissues and berries are related to the climatic conditions of plant growth: moisture (a sum of annual precipitation) and temperature (a sum of annual effective temperatures). The carbon isotope ratios of vegetative and generative parts of vine plants have been found to be noticeably affected by vine varieties. The different ¹³C contents in ethanol produced from wine of the Aligoté and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties grown in two Russian vineyard regions are due to vine growth conditions, variety attribution and wine production techniques. An analytically significant parameter determined as exemplified by the Aligoté and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties in fermentation of vine harvested in different seasons and in both vineyard regions was an increased ¹³C content in ethanol with respect to dry (non-volatile) residue in wine after distillation of ethanol. This characteristic has been determined by a systematic difference of about 1–2‰ between the δ¹³C value of ethanol and the dry residue. A relative constancy in the carbon isotope composition of ethanol and of the dry residue in the final product is the basis for determining the authenticity of grape wines by means of isotopic mass spectrometry irrespective of natural factors.     

Screening of Yeast in Various Vineyard Soil and Study on Its Flavor Compounds from Brewing Grape Wine

In order to screen out Saccharomyces cerevisiae suitable for table grape fermentation, and compare it with commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae in terms of fermentation performance and aroma producing substances, differences of fermentation flavor caused by different strains were discussed. In this experiment, yeast was isolated and purified from vineyard soil, 26s rDNA identification and fermentation substrate tolerance analysis were carried out, and the causes of flavor differences of wine were analyzed from three aspects: GC-MS, PCA and sensory evaluation. The results showed that strain S1 had the highest floral aroma fraction, corresponding to its high production of ethyl octanoate and other substances, and it had the characteristics of high sugar tolerance. The fruit sensory score of S3 wine was the highest among the six wines. Through exploration and analysis, it was found that compared with commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the screened strains had more advantages in fermenting table grapes. The flavor of each wine was directly related to the growth characteristics and tolerance of its strains.     

Development of a sensitive non-targeted method for characterizing the wine volatile profile using headspace solid-phase microextraction comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Future understanding of differences in the composition and sensory attributes of wines require improved analytical methods which allow the monitoring of a large number of volatiles including those present at low concentrations. This study presents the optimization and application of a headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method for analysis of wine volatiles by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS). This study demonstrates an important advancement in wine volatile analysis as the method allows for the simultaneous analysis of a significantly larger number of compounds found in the wine headspace compared to other current single dimensional GC-MS methodologies. The methodology allowed for the simultaneous analysis of over 350 different tentatively identified volatile and semi-volatile compounds found in the wine headspace. These included potent aroma compound classes such as monoterpenes, norisoprenoids, sesquiterpenes, and alkyl-methoxypyrazines which have been documented to contribute to wine aroma. It is intended that wine aroma research and wine sensory research will utilize this non-targeted method to assess compositional differences in the wine volatile profile.     

Grapevine as a Rich Source of Polyphenolic Compounds

Grapes are rich in primary and secondary metabolites. Among the secondary metabolites, polyphenolic compounds are the most abundant in grape berries. Besides their important impacts on grape and wine quality, this class of compounds has beneficial effects on human health. Due to their antioxidant activity, polyphenols and phenolic acids can act as anti-inflammatory and anticancerogenic agents, and can modulate the immune system. In grape berries, polyphenols and phenolic acids can be located in the pericarp and seeds, but distribution differs considerably among these tissues. Although some classes of polyphenols and phenolic acids are under strict genetic control, the final content is highly influenced by environmental factors, such as climate, soil, vineyard, and management. This review aims to present the main classes of polyphenolic compounds and phenolic acids in different berry tissues and grape varieties and special emphasis on their beneficial effect on human health.     

The pivotal role of high-resolution mass spectrometry in the study of grape glycosidic volatile precursors for the selection of grapevines resistant to mildews

A breeding program to produce new grape varieties tolerant to main vine fungal pathogens (Plasmopara viticola and Erysiphe necator) is carrying out by crossing Vitis vinifera cv. “Glera” with resistant genotypes such as “Solaris,” “Bronner,” and “Kunleany.” Firstly, resistance gene-based markers analyses allowed the identification of five genotypes, which have inherited the resistance loci against mildews. To select those that also inherited the phenotype as close as possible to ‘Glera’ suitable to be introduced in the Prosecco wine production protocols, the grape glycosidic derivatives were studied by UHPLC/QTOF mass spectrometry. Targeted identification of the metabolites was performed using a database expressly constructed by including the glycosidic volatile precursors previously identified in grape and wine. A total of 77 glycosidic derivatives including many aroma precursors and some variety markers, were identified. Original resistant genotypes had distinct metabolomic profiles and different to ‘Glera’, while the crossings showed varying similarity degrees to V. vinifera parent. Findings demonstrated the Glera × Bronner and Glera × Solaris crossings are more suitable to produce high-sustainable Prosecco wines. Coupling of glycosidic volatile precursors profiling to multivariate statistical analysis was effective for phenotypic characterization of grapes and to evaluate their enological potential.     

Proteins and enzymatic activities in Erbaluce grape berries with different response to the withering process

During the off-vine natural withering process of Erbaluce (white) grapes to obtain “Erbaluce Caluso” Passito wine, some berries change in color from green-yellow to blue. This phenomenon appears at different extents in different years and might be related to several parameters, such as temperature and humidity during withering, grape composition and Botrytis cinerea loading. To better understand the mechanism involved in color variation, the metabolic changes corresponding to this event were studied.     

Development of a Wine Metabolomics Approach for the Authenticity Assessment of Selected Greek Red Wines

Wine metabolomics constitutes a powerful discipline towards wine authenticity assessment through the simultaneous exploration of multiple classes of compounds in the wine matrix. Over the last decades, wines from autochthonous Greek grape varieties have become increasingly popular among wine connoisseurs, attracting great interest for their authentication and chemical characterization. In this work, 46 red wine samples from Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro grape varieties were collected from wineries in two important winemaking regions of Greece during two consecutive vintages and analyzed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QToF-MS). A targeted metabolomics methodology was developed, including the determination and quantification of 28 phenolic compounds from different classes (hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids, stilbenes and flavonoids). Moreover, 86 compounds were detected and tentatively identified via a robust suspect screening workflow using an in-house database of 420 wine related compounds. Supervised chemometric techniques were employed to build an accurate and robust model to discriminate between two varieties.