Newly generated interspecific wine yeast hybrids introduce flavour and aroma diversity to wines.

Increasingly, winemakers are looking for ways to introduce aroma and flavour diversity to their wines as a means of improving style and increasing product differentiation. While currently available commercial yeast strains produce consistently sound fermentations, there are indications that sensory complexity and improved palate structure are obtained when other species of yeast are active during fermentation. In this study, we explore a strategy to increase the impact of non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae inputs without the risks associated with spontaneous fermentations, through generating interspecific hybrids between a S.

Selective determination of volatile sulfur compounds in wine by gas chromatography with sulfur chemiluminescence detection.

Volatile sulfur compounds can be formed at various stages during wine production and storage, and some may impart unpleasant "reduced" aromas to wine when present at sensorially significant concentrations. Quantitative data are necessary to understand factors that influence the formation of volatile sulfur compounds, but their analysis is not a trivial undertaking. A rapid and selective method for determining 10 volatile sulfur-containing aroma compounds in wine that have been linked to "off-odors" has been developed.

Smoke-derived taint in wine: the release of smoke-derived volatile phenols during fermentation of Merlot juice following grapevine exposure to smoke.

The release of smoke-derived volatile phenols during the fermentation of Merlot grapes, following grapevine exposure to smoke, has been investigated. The concentrations of guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, 4-ethylguaiacol, 4-ethylphenol, and eugenol were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and found to increase throughout the winemaking process. Only trace levels (< or = 1 microg/L) of guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol could be detected in free run juice derived from the fruit of smoked vines; the highest levels, 388 microg/L and 93 microg/L, respectively, were observed in the finished wine.

Determination of rotundone, the pepper aroma impact compound, in grapes and wine.

Shiraz, also known as Syrah or Hermitage, is one of Australia's most popular red wine varieties both domestically and internationally. Black pepper aroma and flavor are important to some Australian Shiraz red wine styles. Recently, rotundone (a bicyclic sesquiterpene) was identified as the potent aroma compound responsible for pepper aromas in grapes, wine, herbs, and spices, including peppercorns.

From wine to pepper: rotundone, an obscure sesquiterpene, is a potent spicy aroma compound.

An obscure sesquiterpene, rotundone, has been identified as a hitherto unrecognized important aroma impact compound with a strong spicy, peppercorn aroma. Excellent correlations were observed between the concentration of rotundone and the mean 'black pepper' aroma intensity rated by sensory panels for both grape and wine samples, indicating that rotundone is a major contributor to peppery characters in Shiraz grapes and wine (and to a lesser extent in wine of other varieties). Approximately 80% of a sensory panel were very sensitive to the aroma of rotundone (aroma detection threshold levels of 16 ng/L in red wine and 8 ng/L in water).

Identification and quantification of a marker compound for 'pepper' aroma and flavor in shiraz grape berries by combination of chemometrics and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

'Black pepper' aroma and flavor is important to some Australian Shiraz red wine styles but the aroma compounds involved have yet to be identified, and no objective analytical method to assess 'pepper' grape aromas is available to date. Samples of potentially 'spicy'/'peppery' grapes were obtained from vineyards in South Australia and Victoria over two vintages. The important sensory attributes of the grapes, including the aroma descriptor 'pepper', were rated by a sensory panel.

Fate of pesticides during the winemaking process in relation to malolactic fermentation.

The effect of red wine malolactic fermentation on the fate of seven fungicides (carbendazim, chlorothalonil, fenarimol, metalaxyl, oxadixyl, procymidone, and triadimenol) and three insecticides (carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, and dicofol) was investigated. After malolactic fermentation using Oenococcus oeni, which simulated common Australian enological conditions, the concentrations of the active compounds chlorpyrifos and dicofol were the most significantly reduced, whereas the concentrations of chlorothalonil and procymidone diminished only slightly. The effect of these pesticides on the activity of the bacteria was also studied.

Stable isotope dilution analysis of wine fermentation products by HS-SPME-GC-MS.

The aim of this study was to quantify, in a single analysis, 31 volatile fermentation-derived products that contribute to the aroma of red and white wine. We developed a multi-component method based on headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). The 31 volatile compounds analysed include ethyl esters, acetates, acids and alcohols.

Rates of formation of cis- and trans-oak lactone from 3-methyl-4-hydroxyoctanoic acid.

The rates of formation of both cis- and trans-oak lactone from the corresponding isomers of 3-methyl-4-hydroxyoctanoic acid have been measured in model wine at room temperature for a range of pH values. The half-life for formation of the trans-isomer at pH 2.9 was calculated to be 3.

The effects of sample preparation and gas chromatograph injection techniques on the accuracy of measuring guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol and other volatile oak compounds in oak extracts by stable isotope dilution analyses.

The deuterium-labeled standards [(2)H(3)]-guaiacol and [(2)H(3)]-4-methylguaiacol were synthesized and utilized in a method employing gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine the concentration of guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol in wine or extracts of oak shavings. The method was combined with previously published methods for 4-ethylphenol, 4-ethylguaiacol, cis- and trans-oak lactone and vanillin, so that all these compounds could be quantified in a single analysis. The method can employ either liquid-liquid extraction or headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and is rapid, robust, precise, and accurate.

Application of stir bar sorptive extraction for wine analysis.

Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to analyse wine samples for three applications: flavour and compositional analysis; 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), a common off-aroma in wine; and agrochemicals. SBSE was found to be orders of magnitude more sensitive than modern conventional methodology, allowing for lower detection and quantitation levels, and improved confirmation of identity; SBSE often gave better signal to noise in scan mode than other methods in selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode. With the help of their characteristic mass spectra all agrochemicals could be identified unambiguously at concentrations of 10 microg L(-1) in wine and a further 100 constituents were detected in a Cabernet Sauvignon sample.

Quantitative analysis of geraniol, nerol, linalool, and alpha-terpineol in wine.

A mixture of [(2)H(7)]-geraniol, [(2)H(7)]-nerol, [(2)H(7)]-linalool and [(2)H(7)]-alpha-terpineol was prepared for use as internal standards in a rapid and accurate analytical method, employing gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), to determine the concentration of geraniol, nerol, linalool and alpha-terpineol in wine. The method avoids the possible formation, degradation and interconversion of these compounds during their analysis.

Decreasing acetic acid accumulation by a glycerol overproducing strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by deleting the ALD6 aldehyde dehydrogenase gene.

Glycerol is a major fermentation product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that contributes to the sensory character of wine. Diverting sugar to glycerol overproduction and away from ethanol production by overexpressing the glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene,GPD2, caused S. cerevisiae to produce more than twice as much acetic acid as the wild-type strain (S288C background) in anaerobic cell culture.