terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 ASSESSING THE ROLE OF 27 KNOWN BITTER COMPOUNDS IN COMMERCIAL WHITE WINES COMBINING LC-MS QUANTIFICATION AND SENSORY ANALYSIS

ASSESSING THE ROLE OF 27 KNOWN BITTER COMPOUNDS IN COMMERCIAL WHITE WINES COMBINING LC-MS QUANTIFICATION AND SENSORY ANALYSIS

Abstract

The balance between the different flavours of a wine largely determines its perception and appreciation by the consumers. In white wines, sweetness and sourness are usually the two poles balancing the taste properties. The bitter flavour, on the other hand, is frequently associated with a loss of equilibrium and all white wines (dry and sweet, young and aged) are affected.

Several bitter compounds are already well-described in wines. Some are linked to microorganisms as acrolein (Bauer et al., 2010) or oak wood, for example lyoniresinol (Cretin et al., 2015), while others come directly from grapes: mostly phenolic (Hufnagel and Hofmann, 2008) and nitrogen compounds (Roudot-Algaron, 1996). Furthermore, the enhancing role played by ethanol has also been well established (Cretin et al., 2018). The present study aims to determine the influence of twenty-seven known bitter compounds on the taste of various commercial white wines.

Thirty wines have been selected and submitted to sensory analysis by a trained panel. The various intensities of sourness, sweetness and bitterness have been determined for each wine. Jointly, five quantification methods have been developed and validated using liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Exactive, Orbitrap analyzer) in order to determine the amount of the selected bitter compounds.

Potential correlations between the described tastes of the wines and concentrations of bitter molecules have been assessed. For the most relevant compounds, detection thresholds have been updated using the same trained panel, enabling a better understanding of the impact of various compounds.

This study enlightens the role of already known bitter compounds in bitter wine. It is also leading the way to further research as some wine’s taste remain unexplained by the selected compounds, thus confirming the potential presence of still unknown bitter compounds.

 

1. Bauer, R., Cowan, D. A., Crouch, A., 2010. Acrolein in wine : importance of 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde and derivatives in production and detection. J. Agric. Food Chem. 58, 3243-3250.
2. Cretin, B., Sallembien, Q., Sindt, L., Daugey, N., Buffeteau, T., Waffo-Teguo, P., Dubourdieu, D., Marchal, A., 2015. How stereochemistry influences the taste of wine : Isolation, characterization and sensory evaluation of lyoniresinol stereoisomers. Analytica chimica acta. 888, 191-198.
3. Cretin, B., Dubourdieu, D., Marchal, A., 2018. Influence of ethanol content on sweetness and bitterness perception in dry wines. Food science & technology. 87, 61-66.
4. Hufnagel, J.C., Hofmann, T., 2008. Quantitative reconstruction of the nonvolatile sensometabolome of a red wine. J. Agric. Food Chem. 56, 9190-9199.
5. Roudot-Algaron, F., 1996. Le goût des acides aminés, des peptides et des protéines : exemple de peptides sapides dans les hydrolysats de caséines. Lait. 76, 313-348.

DOI:

Publication date: February 9, 2024

Issue: OENO Macrowine 2023

Type: Article

Authors

Tom Estier1,2 and Axel Marchal1,2

1. Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, INRAE, OENO, UMR 1366, ISVV, F-33140 Villenave d’Ornon, France
2. Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Bordeaux INP, INRAE, OENO, UMR 1366, ISVV, F-33170 Gradignan, France

Contact the author*

Keywords

LC-MS quantification, sensory analysis, bitterness, wine

Tags

IVES Conference Series | oeno macrowine 2023 | oeno-macrowine

Citation

Related articles…

EVIDENCE OF THE INTERACTION OF ULTRASOUND AND ASPERGILLOPEPSINS I ON UNSTABLE GRAPE PROTEINS

Most of the effects of ultrasound (US) result from the collapse of bubbles due to cavitation. The shockwave produced is associated with shear forces, along with high localised temperatures and pressures. However, the high-speed stream, radical species formation, and heat generated during sonication may also affect the stability of some enzymes and proteins, depending on their chemical structure. Recently, Ce-lotti et al. (2021) reported the effects of US on protein stability in wines. To investigate this further, the effect of temperature (40°C and 70°C; 60s), sonication (20 kHz and 100 % amplitude, for 20s and 60s, leading to the same temperatures as above, respectively), in combination with Aspergillopepsins I (AP-I) supplementation (100 μg/L), was studied on unstable protein concentration (TLPs and chitinases) using HPLC with an UV–Vis detector in a TLPs-supplemented model system and in an unstable white wine.

Read More

CHANGES IN METABOLIC FLUXES UNDER LOW PH GROWTH CONDITIONS: CAN THE SLOWDOWN OF CITRATE CONSUMPTION IMPROVE OENOCOCCUS OENI ACID-TOLERANCE?

Oenococcus oeni is the main Lactic Acid Bacteria responsible for malolactic fermentation, converting malic acid into lactic acid and carbon dioxide in wines. Following the alcoholic fermentation, this second fermentation ensures a deacidification and remains essential for the release of aromatic notes and the improvement of microbial stability in many wines. Nevertheless, wine is a harsh environment for microbial growth, especially because of its low pH (between 2.9 and 3.6 depending on the type of wine) and nutrient deficiency. In order to maintain homeostasis and ensure viability, O. oeni possesses different cellular mechanisms including organic acid metabolisms which represent also the major pathway to synthetize energy in wine.

Read More

FUNGAL DIVERSITY AND DYNAMICS IN CHAMPAGNE VINEYARDS: FROM VINE TO WINE

Champagne is a well-known wine region in Northern France with distinct terroirs and three main grape varieties. As for any vineyard, wine quality is highly linked to the microbiological characteristics of the raw materials. However, Champagne grape microbiota, especially its fungal component, has yet to be fully characterized. Our study focused on describing this mycobiota, from vine to small scale model wine, for the two main Champagne grape varieties, Pinot Noir and Meunier, using complementary cultural and omics approaches.

Read More

IDENTIFICATION OF NEW RESVERATROL DERIVATIVES FORMED IN RED WINE AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

Stilbenes are natural bioactive polyphenols produced by grapevine. Recently, we have reviewed the na- tural presence of these compounds in wines [1]. This study showed that the resveratrol and its glycoside, the piceid, are the most abundant stilbenes in wines. Resveratrol is a well-known stilbene with a wide range of biological activities. Due to its specific structure, resveratrol can be oxidized in wines to form various derivatives including oligomers [2]. In this study, we investigate the resveratrol and piceid transformation in wines.

Read More

ESTIMATING THE INITIAL OXYGEN RELEASE (IOR) OF CORK CLOSURES

Many factors influence aging of bottled wine, oxygen transfer through the closure is included. The maximum uptake of wine before oxidation begins varies from 60 mg.L-¹ to 180 mg.L-1 for white and red wines respectively [1].
The process of bottling may lead to considerable amounts of oxygen. The actual contribution of the transfer through the closure system becomes relevant at the bottle storage, but the amounts are small compared to prepacking operations [2] and to the total oxygen attained during filling.

Read More