Juan José Rodríguez-Bencomo

Importance of chip selection and elaboration process on the aromatic composition of finished wines.

The evolution of volatile compounds extracted from wood while being macerated for 1 month with four different commercial chips (different geographical origins and toasting degrees) was studied. Furthermore, the effect of the microoxygenation process between alcoholic and malolactic fermentation also was studied. The wood volatile compounds in wines macerated with the four types of chips evolved in the same way. However, the amounts of compounds extracted depended on the type of chip used. There were differences in the levels of vanillin, cis-whiskey lactone, furfural, trans-isoeugenol, and cis-isoeugenol in wines in accordance with the type of wood chips (French or American), and the last two compounds along with 5-methyl furfural presented differences that were directly related to the toast level. However, no effects of microoxygenation treatment on the extraction of volatile compounds extracted from chips were observed. Therefore, the results obtained in this study highlight the importance of chip selection on the aromatic characteristics of finished wines.

Volatile compounds of red wines macerated with Spanish, American, and French oak chips.

The volatile composition of a red wine aged for 2 months with three different Spanish oak chips (Quercus pyrenaica and Quercus petraea) from different regions of Castilla y León was compared with that of wines aged with American and French chips. In general, the extraction kinetics showed that the maximum concentration of the volatile compounds extracted from wood can be reached in only 1 month. In the final wines, the levels of furanic aldehydes and eugenol were higher in the wines macerated with Spanish chips, whereas cis-whiskey-lactone, vanillin, and methyl vanillate showed higher levels in wines treated with American chips. Among the wines treated with the different Spanish chips, the differences observed in the volatile composition were more related to the geographical origin of the forest than to the botanical species. In general, the wines macerated with Spanish chips showed levels of oak-related volatile compounds that were more similar to those macerated with French chips than to those macerated with American chips.

Characterization of the Aroma-Active, Phenolic, and Lipid Profiles of the Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) Nut as Affected by the Single and Double Roasting Process

The pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) nut is one of the most widely consumed edible nuts in the world. However, it is the roasting process that makes the pistachio commercially viable and valuable as it serves as the key step to improving the nuts hallmark sensory characteristics including flavor, color, and texture. Consequently, the present study explores the effects of the single-roasting and double-roasting process on the pistachios chemical composition, specifically aroma-active compounds, polyphenols, and lipids. Results showed the total polyphenol content of increased with the roasting treatment; however, not all phenolic compounds demonstrated this behavior. With regard to the aroma and aroma-active compounds, the results indicated that roasting process results in the development of characteristics and pleasant aroma of pistachio samples due to the Maillard reaction. With regard to lipids, the pistachio roasting treatment reduced the concentration of CN38 diacylglycerides while increasing the amount of elaidic acid.

Beyond the characterization of wine aroma compounds: looking for analytical approaches in trying to understand aroma perception during wine consumption.

The volatile compounds present in wines are responsible for the quality of the wine aroma. The analysis of these compounds requires different analytical techniques depending on the type of compounds and their concentration. The importance at sensorial level of each compound should be evaluated by using olfactometric techniques and reconstitution and omission studies. In addition, wine aroma is influenced by other factors such as wine matrix, which could affect the compounds’ volatility, decreasing or increasing their concentration in the headspace above the wine. Moreover, when a wine is consumed, several oral physiological variables could affect aroma perception. The focus of this review is to outline the most recent advances in wine aroma analysis and the most innovative techniques in trying to elucidate the main factors that influence wine aroma perception during consumption.

Impact of glutathione-enriched inactive dry yeast preparations on the stability of terpenes during model wine aging.

The impact of the addition of glutathione-enriched Inactive dry yeast preparations (g-IDYs) on the stability of some typical wine terpenes (linalool, α-terpineol, β-citronellol, and nerol) stored under accelerated oxidative conditions was evaluated in model wines. Additionally, the effects of a second type of IDY preparation with a different claim (fermentative nutrient) and the sole addition of commercial glutathione into the model wines were also assessed. Model wines were spiked with the low molecular weight fraction (<3 kDa permeate) isolated from the IDYs, avoiding the interaction of aroma compounds with other yeast components. An exhaustive chemical characterization of both IDY permeates was carried out by using targeted and nontargeted metabolomics approaches using CE-MS and FT-ICR-MS analytical platforms. The findings suggest that the addition of <3 kDa permeate isolated from any of the IDYs employed decreases the loss of typical wine terpenes in model wines submitted to accelerated aging conditions. The g-IDY preparation did indeed release reduced GSH into the model wines, although this compound did not seem exclusively related to the protective effect on some aroma compounds determined in both model wines. The presence of other sulfur-containing compounds from yeast origin in g-IDY, and also the presence of small yeast peptides, such as methionine/tryptophan/tyrosine-containing tripeptide in both types of IDYs, seemed to be related to the antioxidant activity determined in the two permeates and to the minor loss of some terpenes in the model wines spiked with them.

Feasibility and application of liquid-liquid extraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the analysis of phenolic acids from grape polyphenols degraded by human faecal microbiota.

In this study the feasibility of a LLE-GC-EI-MS method for the analysis of 43 phenolic acids belonging to different chemical structure families which have been described in the literature as microbial-derived metabolites after consumption of dietary polyphenols was proved. In addition, the method was applied for the characterisation of phenolic metabolites resulting from the incubation, in anaerobic conditions, of a commercial grape seed extract (GSE) and their corresponding flavan-3-ol monomeric (GSE-M) and oligomeric (GSE-O) fractions with human faeces from healthy volunteers (n=3). The method showed average values of repeatability and reproducibility of 5.0% and 6.3%, respectively, adequate and low detection (1.8-30.8 μg L(-1)) and quantification limits (6.0-102.8 μg L(-1)) and good recovery values (95%, as average value). A total of 27 phenolic acids were identified in the faecal solutions after incubation with the grape seed extracts. In general, faecal samples incubated with GSE and GSE-M (monomeric fraction) yield a higher formation of phenolic acids compared to the samples incubated with the oligomer fraction (GSE-O).

Floral aroma improvement of Muscat spirits by packed column distillation with variable internal reflux

The organoleptic quality of wine distillates depends on raw materials and the distillation process. Previous work has shown that rectification columns in batch distillation with fixed reflux rate are useful to obtain distillates or distillate fractions with enhanced organoleptic characteristics. This study explores variable reflux rate operating strategies to increase the levels of terpenic compounds in specific distillate fractions to emphasize its floral aroma. Based on chemical and sensory analyses, two distillate heart sub-fractions obtained with the best operating strategy found, were compared with a distillate obtained in a traditional alembic. Results have shown that a drastic reduction of the reflux rate at an early stage of the heart cut produced a distillate heart sub-fraction with a higher concentration of terpenic compounds and lower levels of negative aroma compounds. Therefore, this sub-fraction presented a much more noticeable floral aroma than the distillate obtained with a traditional alembic.

Effects of distillation system and yeast strain on the aroma profile of Albariño (Vitis vinifera L.) grape pomace spirits.

Orujo is a traditional alcoholic beverage produced in Galicia (northwest Spain) from distillation of grape pomace, a byproduct of the winemaking industry. In this study, the effect of the distillation system (copper charentais alembic versus packed column) and the yeast strain (native yeast L1 versus commercial yeast L2) on the chemical and sensory characteristics of orujo obtained from Albariño (Vitis vinifera L.) grape pomace has been analyzed. Principal component analysis, with two components explaining 74% of the variance, is able to clearly differentiate the distillates according to distillation system and yeast strain. Principal component 1, mainly defined by C6-C12 esters, isoamyl octanoate, and methanol, differentiates L1 from L2 distillates. In turn, principal component 2, mainly defined by linear alcohols, linalool, and 1-hexenol, differentiates alembic from packed column distillates. In addition, an aroma descriptive test reveals that the distillate obtained with a packed column from a pomace fermented with L1 presented the highest positive general impression, which is associated with the highest fruity and smallest solvent aroma scores. Moreover, chemical analysis shows that use of a packed column increases average ethanol recovery by 12%, increases the concentration of C6-C12 esters by 25%, and reduces the concentration of higher alcohols by 21%. In turn, L2 yeast obtained lower scores in the alembic distillates aroma profile. In addition, with L1, 9% higher ethanol yields were achieved, and L2 distillates contained 34%-40% more methanol than L1 distillates.

Assessment of the impact of the addition of antimicrobial plant extracts to wine: Volatile and phenolic composition

BACKGROUND Antimicrobial plant phenolic-rich extracts have been proposed as alternative to sulfites in the control of the malolactic fermentation (MLF) during winemaking. This addition may affect wine organoleptic properties. In this paper, we have investigated the changes in wine volatile and phenolic composition, after MLF, of a red wine treated with antimicrobial extracts from eucalyptus leaves and almond skins. RESULTS Although addition of both extracts led to statistically significant changes (P < 0.05) in the concentration of several esters, alcohols, C13 nor-isoprenoids and volatile phenols, only few of these volatile compounds showed values of odour activity > 1 aroma unit; that is to say, whose concentrations were higher than their corresponding odour thresholds. With regard to phenolic compounds, the addition of both extracts did not significantly modify the content of anthocyanins, which predicts minor changes in wine colour. However, the content of non-anthocyanin phenolics was significantly higher in the wines treated with antimicrobial extracts, especially for flavonols, being the dose-over-taste factor for these wines significantly higher. Finally, principal component analysis showed that wines were mainly differentiated on the basis of whether MLF was conducted or not, and its method of performance (inoculated/spontaneous). CONCLUSION Addition of antimicrobial extracts leads to some compositional changes in the wine, whose relevance needs to be addressed in future experiments, including wine sensorial analysis.

Impact of Bentonite Additions during Vinification on Protein Stability and Volatile Compounds of Albariño Wines

Today, bentonite continues to be one of the most used products to remove proteins in white wines in order to avoid their precipitation in bottles. However, excessive use of bentonite has negative effects on the aroma of final wine, so the optimization of the dose and the time of its application are important for winemakers. This paper analyzes how applying an equal dose of bentonite at different stages (must clarification; beginning, middle, and end of fermentation) affects the macromolecular profile, protein stability, physical-chemical characteristics and aromatic profile of the wine obtained. The results showed the addition during fermentation (especially in the middle and at the end) reduced the total dose required for protein stabilization of Albariño wines and maintained the sensory characteristics of this variety.