Macrowine 2021
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Reduction of herbaceous aromas by wine lactic acid bacteria mediated degradation of volatile aldehydes

Reduction of herbaceous aromas by wine lactic acid bacteria mediated degradation of volatile aldehydes

Abstract

Consumers typically prefer wines with floral and fruity aromas over those presenting green-pepper, vegetal or herbaceous notes. Pyrazines have been identified as causatives for herbaceous notes in wines, especially Bordeaux reds. However, pyrazines are not universally responsible for herbaceousness, and several other wine volatile compounds are known to produce distinct vegetal/herbaceous aromas in wines. Specifically, volatile aldehydes elicit sensations of herbaceousness or grassiness and have been described in wines well above their perception thresholds. Acetaldehyde is quantitatively the most important aldehyde and formed by yeast metabolism or through the auto-oxidation of ethanol during and after fermentations. Its grassy-green aroma typically is prevented by addition of SO2 that strongly binds to acetaldehyde hence masking its aroma. Hetero- and homofermentative wine lactic acid bacteria are responsible for the secondary malolactic fermentation in most red and some white wines and can degrade acetaldehyde. During malolactic fermentation, wine lactic acid bacteria are capable of reducing acetaldehyde levels significantly (~90%). Two reaction pathways were previously described by our group, the chemical reduction of acetaldehyde to ethanol by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), or its oxidation to acetic acid by aldehyde dehydrogenase (Al-DH). ADH and Al-DH are known to have a broad substrate specificity. Hence, it is possible that wine lactic acid bacteria may be able to degrade other volatile aldehydes that are known to contribute to herbaceousness in wines. Hexanal, methional, 2-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanal, 2-methylpropanal, E-2-nonenal and phenyl-acetaldehyde are aldehydes and powerful herbaceous aroma compounds with odour thresholds between 0.5 and 16 µg/l. The odour thresholds of their corresponding alcohols are 100 to 14’000 times higher. Thus, chemical reduction of these aldehydes to the corresponding alcohols by wine lactic acid bacteria may lead to a reduction of herbaceous notes. Within the scope of this investigation, highly concentrated solutions of resting cells of several heterofermentative and facultative homofermentative wine lactic acid bacteria of the genera Oenococcus and Lactobacillus were tested for their ability to degrade these volatile aldehydes. A careful incubation and sample-taking protocol was applied in order to prevent sample evaporation. The analysis of volatile aldehydes was performed by liquid-liquid micro-extraction followed by GC-MS analysis. It could be demonstrated that all bacteria were able to degrade all volatile aldehydes efficiently. Within 50 minutes, an average of 95% of the initial aldehyde concentration was degraded with minima and maxima of 63 and 100%, respectively. The results suggest that wine lactic acid bacteria may be able to degrade volatile aldehydes during malolactic fermentation thus reducing their sensory impact and increasing sensory perception of compounds with fruity character.

Publication date: May 17, 2024

Issue: Macrowine 2016

Type: Poster

Authors

Ramon Mira de Orduna*, Alexandra Le Boursier, Marilyn Cléroux, Tatevik Gabrielyan

*HES-SO

Contact the author

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Macrowine | Macrowine 2016

Citation

Related articles…

Screening sensory-directed methodology for the selection of non-saccharomyces wine yeasts based on perceived aroma quality

The present work contributes by developing a rapid sensory-directed methodology for the screening and selection of high quality wines with different sensory profiles Therefore, Verdejo and Tempranillo musts were fermented with 50 different yeasts each under controlled laboratory conditions. Resulting samples were firstly categorized according to five levels of quality by a panel of wine professionals (Sáenz-Navajas, Ballester et al. 2013). Higher quality samples were described by flash profiling by a semi-trained panel
(Valentin, Chollet et al. 2012) and most distinctive samples were screened by gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) (López, Aznar et al. 2002).

The effect of Nitrogen and Sulphur foliar applications in hot climates

ine nitrogen deficiency can negatively influence the aroma profile and ageing potential of white wines. Canopy management can alter vine microclimate, affect the nitrogen availability and influence the response of leaf senescence. Increasing the nitrogen availability to vines can increase the Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen (YAN) levels in harvested fruit and wine. Studies show that foliar nitrogen and sulphur applications at véraison, on low YAN Sauvignon blanc grapes have an effect on the level of amino acids (Jreij et al. 2009) and on S-containing compounds such as glutathione and thiols (Lacroux et al. 2008), which in turn can influence the formation of major volatiles and the aroma profile of the wine.

Anthropogenic factors in modulations of fungal populations from grapes to wines and their repercussions on wine characteristics

The effects of anthropogenic activities on vineyard (different plant protections) and in winery
(pressing/clarification step, addition of sulfur dioxide) on fungal populations from grape to wine were studied. The studied anthropogenic activities modify the fungal diversity. Thus, lower biodiversity of grapes from organic modality was measured for the three vintages considered compared to biodiversity from ecophyto modality and conventional modality. The pressing / clarification steps strongly modify fungal populations and the influence of the winery flora is highlighted.

Flavanol glycosides in grapes and wines : the key missing molecular intermediates in condensed tannin biosynthesis ?

Polyphenols are present in a wide variety of plants and foods such as tea, cacao and grape1. An important sub-class of these compounds is the flavanols present in grapes and wines as monomers (e.g (+)-catechin or (-)-epicatechin), or polymers also called condensed tannins or proanthocyanidins. They have important antioxidant properties2 but their biosynthesis remains partly unknown. Some recent studies have focused on the role of glycosylated intermediates that are involved in the transport of the monomers and may serve as precursors in the polymerization mechanism3, 4. The global objective of this work is to identify flavanol glycosides in grapes or wines, describe their structure and determine their abundance during grape development and in wine.

Use of computational modelling for selecting adsorbents for improved fining of wine

The occurrence of faults and taints in wine, such as those caused by microbial spoilage or various taints, have resulted in significant financial losses to wine producers. The wine industry commits significant financial resources towards fining and taint removal processes each year. Fining involves the addition of one or more adsorptive substrates to juice or wine to bind certain components, thus reducing their concentration [1]. However, these processes are often not selective and can also remove desirable flavour and aroma compounds.