A Dynamic Analysis of Higher Alcohol and Ester Release During Winemaking Fermentations

Abstract

Isobutanol, isoamyl acetate and ethyl hexanoate production during winemaking fermentations was precisely described. Volatile compound concentrations and their rates of change and losses in the exhausted gas were determined throughout the fermentation. Negligible amounts of isobutanol were lost, whatever the fermentation temperature. In contrast, 56 % of the ethyl hexanoate and 34 % of the isoamyl acetate were stripped by CO2 when the temperature profile simulated red winemaking conditions. Even at a moderate temperature of 20 °C, typical of white wine fermentations, 40 % of the ethyl hexanoate and 21 % of the isoamyl acetate were lost. The effect of temperature on the production of the volatile compounds was assessed by running fermentations at different temperatures, with the same medium and strain. By taking into account the volatile compound losses in the exhausted gas, changes in volatile compound production were found to be smaller than those usually calculated from the concentrations in the wine. These findings highlight the potential importance of knowledge concerning aroma gas–liquid balances for both an understanding of yeast metabolism and the identification of innovative control strategies minimizing aroma losses.