Macrowine 2021
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Macrowine 9 Macrowine 2021 9 Chemical diversity of 'special' wine styles: fortified wines, passito style, botrytized and ice wines, orange wines, sparkling wines 9 Identification and quantification of molecular ellagitannins in cognac eaux-de-vie by a mass spectrometry method: barrel toasting and aging impact

Identification and quantification of molecular ellagitannins in cognac eaux-de-vie by a mass spectrometry method: barrel toasting and aging impact

Abstract

AIM: Ellagitannins are the main oak wood phenolic compounds that contribute to wine and spirits organoleptic quality (color, astringency, bitterness)(1-3). Given the lack of knowledge regarding their composition and evolution in spirits, the objectives were to follow their extraction kinetic in Cognac “eaux-de-vie” matured in barrel representing different toasting and to observe their evolution and structural modifications during aging.

METHODS: Eight different toasting levels were used for studying the impact of the toasting on ellagitannins composition. Two verticals (1978-2018) of “eaux-de-vie” samples coming from two terroirs were analyzed in order to observe ellagitannins evolution during aging. The above analyses were conducted using HPLC-Triple Quadrupole mass spectrometer (4) and the unknown compounds were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF, purified by preparative HPLC prior to 1D/2D-NMR analysis.

RESULTS: A general trend between the toasting levels and the individual ellagitannins content and composition was observed. Indeed “Eau-de-vie” aged in light toasted barrel has 40% higher castalagin content than in high toasting. During spirit aging, native ellagitannins content decreases over time. After two years, only castalagin remains quantifiable, suggesting that they undergo transformations leading to the formation of new compounds. Among them, whisky tannin B and A ([M-H]- ion peak at m/z 977.0896 and m/z 675.0834 respectively), resulting from the ethanol/castalagin or castalin reaction as well as some ellagitannin oxidation products like dehydrocastalagin and dehydroroburin D were identified for the first time in Cognac “eaux-de-vie” samples. The kinetic of the above compounds is in progress and the influence of both aging and barrel toasting is being researched.

CONCLUSIONS:

This work brings new insights on the Cognac ellagitannins content and how these molecules are influenced by aging and barrel toasting. Tastings will be performed to understand the organoleptic impact of these compounds.

DOI:

Publication date: September 15, 2021

Issue: Macrowine 2021

Type: Article

Authors

Mathilde Gadrat, Joel Lavergne, Catherine Emo, Pierre-Louis Teissedre, Kléopatra Chira,

1. Unité de recherche Œnologie, EA 4577, USC 1366 INRAE, ISVV, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, F33882 Villenave d’Ornon France 
2.   Courvoisier SAS, 2 places du château, 16200 Jarnac, France ,
Unité de recherche Œnologie, EA 4577, USC 1366 INRAE, ISVV, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, F33882 Villenave d’Ornon France 

Contact the author

Keywords

cognac, ellagitannins, mass spectrometry, toasting

Citation

Related articles…

Light-struck taste in white wine: enological approach for its prevention

Light-struck taste is a defect prevalent in white wines bottled in clear glass light-exposed for a considerable amount of time leading to a loss of color and appearance of sulfur-like odors. The reaction involves riboflavin (RF), a highly photosensitive compound that undergoes to intermolecular photoreduction by the uptake of two electron equivalents from an external donor, the methionine. The reaction includes different steps forming methional which is extremely unstable and decomposes to methane thiol and acrolein. The reaction of two molecules of methane thiol yields dimethyl disulfide. Methane thiol is highly volatile, has a low perception threshold (2 to 10 µg/L in wine) and confers aroma-like rotten eggs or cabbage.

Downscaling of remote sensing time series: thermal zone classification approach in Gironde region

In viticulture, the challenges of local climate modelling are multiple: taking into account the local environment, fine temporal and spatial scales, reliable time series of climate data, ease of implementation and reproducibility of the method. At the local scale, recent studies have demonstrated the contribution of spatialization methods for ground-based climate observation data considering topographic factors such as altitude, slope, aspect, and geographic coordinates (Le Roux et al, 2017; De Rességuier et al, 2020). However, these studies have shown questions in terms of the reproducibility and sustainability of this type of climate study. In this context, we evaluated the potential of MODIS thermal satellite images validated with ground-based climate data (Morin et al, 2020). Previous studies have been encouraging, but questions remain to be explored at the regional scale, particularly in the dynamics of the massive use of bioclimatic indices to classify the climate of wine regions. The results at the local scale were encouraging, but this approach was tested in the current study at the regional scale. Several objectives were set: 1) to evaluate the downscaling method for land surface temperature time series, 2) to identify regional thermal structure variations. We used weekly minimum and maximum surface temperature time series acquired by MODIS satellites at a spatial resolution of 1000 m and downscaled at 500 m using topographical variables. Two types of analyses were performed:

Soil incorporation of new superabsorbent hydrogels to improve vine tolerance to summer stress: physiological validation and vineyard applications

Hydrogels are soil-conditioning materials capable of absorbing substantial amounts of water relative to their weight.

Use of the stics crop model as a tool to inform vineyard zonages

STICS est un modèle de culture développé à l’INRA (France) depuis 1996. Il simule les bilans de carbone, d’eau et d’azote dans le système culture-sol, piloté par des données climatiques journaliéres. Il calcule à la fois des variables agricoles (rendement en quantité et qualité) et environnementales (pertes en eau et en azote). Une des originalités de STICS est son adaptabilité à de nombreuses cultures (herbacées, ligneuses, annuelles, pérennes) rendue possible par le choix de paramètres génériques et d’options de formalismes. Le travail présenté traite, dans un premier temps, des spécificités de STICS pour la vigne en terme de bilan trophique, de fonctionnement énergétique et hydrique et d’estimation des teneurs en sucre en en eau du raisin. Nous montrons ensuite diverses sorties du modèle qui permettent de caractériser des terroirs du vignoble des Côtes du Rhône.

Polyphenol content examination of Tokaji Aszú wines

We must state that two conditions above are only prevalent in the case when the processed grapes are full or over ripened, besides following the Tokaj wines preparation criterions (grape variety, soil, microclimate, vintage, etc.). These two conditions mentioned before were followed up only sensory based analysis up to now, altough the study of chemical idetified compounds which confirms these are obviuos.