[P003] Poster

12:10 PM - 1:00 PM JST(3:10 AM - 4:00 AM UTC)

[P02-163] Application of an Automated GC–MS Omission System for Evaluating the Contribution of Ethyl Hexanoate to Wine Aroma

○Kanako Sasaki¹, Harumi Kikuchi¹ (1. Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Japan))

Keywords:

wine,aroma,GC-MS,ethyl hexanoate,omission test

Wine aroma consists of a complex mixture of more than 1,000 volatile compounds. While some compounds individually produce characteristic odor notes, many aroma descriptors frequently used for red wines, such as “red fruit” or “black fruit,” are thought to arise from the combined effects of multiple compounds. Identifying the compounds responsible for such complex aroma nuances remains a major challenge.The omission test is a useful approach for evaluating the contribution of individual compounds within complex aroma mixtures. In this method, a target compound is removed from an aroma mixture and the resulting sensory change is evaluated. However, conventional omission tests require reconstruction of aroma mixtures using authentic standards, which is difficult because wine aromas contain numerous compounds and some components remain unidentified.To overcome these limitations, an automated omission system (GC-MS Aroma Designer, Shimadzu Corporation) has been developed. In this system, the outlet of a GC column is split into two flow paths connected to a mass spectrometer and an aroma collection device. During GC separation, a targeted compound can be selectively directed to the MS, while the remaining volatile compounds are collected in a sampling bag, allowing sensory evaluation of aroma mixtures in which specific compounds are omitted.
In this study, we evaluated whether this automated omission system can be applied to complex wine aroma mixtures and investigated the contribution of ethyl hexanoate to the aroma of Muscat Bailey A (MBA) wine. Volatile compounds were collected from the headspace of MBA wine using a dynamic headspace method and introduced into the omission GC-MS system. Three aroma samples were prepared: (1) a complete aroma sample containing all volatile compounds, (2) an omission sample lacking ethyl hexanoate, and (3) a reconstitution sample obtained by adding ethyl hexanoate to the omission sample.Sensory evaluation (n = 11) was conducted for four aroma attributes: ripe-fruit aroma, raspberry-like aroma, white-flower-like aroma, and overall aroma intensity. Statistical analysis showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in ripe-fruit aroma between the complete and omission samples and between the omission and reconstitution samples, whereas no significant differences were observed for the other attributes.These results indicate that ethyl hexanoate contributes to the ripe-fruit-like aroma of MBA wine. The applicability of this automated omission system to other red wines, including Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, will also be discussed.