Evaluation of Ripe-Fruit-Like Aroma in Red Wines using an Automated Omission System
Kanako Sasaki* and Harumi Kikuchi
*Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, 26-1-12-12, Muraoka-Higashi
2-Chome, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
(Kanako_Sasaki@kirin.co.jp)
Aroma is one of the most important criteria used to evaluate the quality of wine, and >1000 aroma compounds have been detected in wine. However, it is difficult to evaluate the combined effects of wine aromas originating from complex mixtures of volatile compounds, and to identify the key aroma compounds creating a specific nuance in the wine. An automated omission system was developed by Shimadzu Corporation to clarify the combined effects of multiple volatile compounds. As a configuration of the system, the gas sampling device and mass spectrometer are connected to divergent ends of the gas chromatography (GC) column. The volatile compounds in the injected samples are separated by GC and the targeted compound can be isolated to be analyzed by mass spectrometry, while the remaining compounds can be collected in a bag using the gas sampling device. The omission system allows us to evaluate whether the targeted compound is essential for total aroma nuance.
In this study, we verified whether this omission system can evaluate complex mixtures of volatile compounds in various types of red wine. At first, we evaluated the effect of ethyl hexanoate on the aroma of Muscat Bailey A wine, an indigenous grape cultivar in Japan. The volatile compounds in the wine were collected using the dynamic headspace method and injected into the omission system. Three sample bags were prepared: (1) one filled with all the volatile compounds of the wine, (2) one filled with all compounds but ethyl hexanoate, (3) one in which ethyl hexanoate was added back into bag 2. The results of sensory evaluation of these sample bags demonstrated that ethyl hexanoate was responsible for the “ripe-fruit-like aroma” in Muscat Bailey A wines. We will also report the impact of ethyl hexanoate on the aroma of two other wine varieties, Pinot noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Funding Support: Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
