The impact of ethyl esters, monoterpenes and volatile thiols to the perception of tropical fruit aromas in white wines

Abstract

Many varietal white wines have aroma qualities that incorporate various tropical fruit aromas. These tropical fruit aromas are found to be considered positive qualities of the wines with consumers having positive emotional responses [1]. In previous work, it has been found that combinations of ethyl esters, ethyl esters and thiols and monoterpenes, can cause tropical fruit aromas in white wines [2,3,4]. However, it is unknown if these aromas are similar or if they correspond to different tropical fruit characteristics. This work aimed to determine if the perceived aromas from these different chemical combinations resulted in various tropical fruit aromas. It is also known that individuals with greater exposure to specific aromatics can discern and evaluate them better than those with limited exposure. Therefore, this work also looked to compare consumers based on their exposure and familiarity with different tropical fruits. Reconstitution studies of different combinations and concentrations of the compounds of interest, ethyl esters, monoterpenes and volatile thiols were created in a base Pinot gris wine. Descriptive analyses were conducted on two groups of wine consumers: those with great exposure to tropical fruits and the ability to differentiate and identify various kinds of tropical fruits, and those without such exposure and ability. Results showed that these compound combinations did result in different tropical fruit aromas, although not all treatments were perceived differently and that the consumer groups were different in their description of the wines. This work builds on understanding the causation of aromas in wine, which in turn can help with production decision-making and the choice of processing to obtain specific wine styles.

References

[1] Lucas, C., Iobbi, A., de Matos, A.D., Tomasino, E. (2023) Food Res Int, 174, 113496.

[2] Iobbi, A., Di, Y., Tomasino, E. (2023) Heliyon, 9(1), e12862

[3] Chigo-Hernandez, M.M., Tomasino, E. (2023) Foods, 12(12), 2389

[4] Chigo-Hernandez, M.M., DuBois, A., Tomasino, E. (2022) Fermentation, 8(1), 30.