Identification of ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate in red wines, a compound involved in blackberry aroma

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 132; no. 1; pp. 230 - 236
• Main Authors: Falcao, L.D., Lytra, G., Darriet, P., Barbe, J.-C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aroma; Biological and medical sciences; Blackberry flavour; Chemical and Process Engineering; Engineering Sciences; Ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate; Fermented food industries; Food engineering; Food industries; Fruit - chemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - methods; GC–GC–MS; Humans; Life Sciences; Odorants - analysis; Red wine; Rubus - chemistry; Sensory analysis; Valerates - chemistry; Vitaceae; Wine - analysis; Wines and vinegars; Ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate; GC–GC–MS; Sensory analysis; Red wine; Blackberry flavour; GC-GC-MS; Alcoholic beverage; Identification; Aroma; Flavor
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.10.061

► Ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate identified for the first in red table wines. ► A compound directly associate to “fresh blackberry” note. ► Organoleptic importance of this compound has been highlighted. ► Perceptive interaction with ethyl butanoate was observed. The aroma profile of Bordeaux red wines is known to be marked by blackberry and blackcurrant flavours; this study focused on the fresh blackberry aroma in Bordeaux red wines, using sensory gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC–O) and two-dimensional gas chromatography analysis (GC–GC–MS). A previous HPLC fractionation of red wine extracts on a C18 column produced four fractions with blackberry aromas that were then analysed by GC–O, GC–GC–MS and GC–MS. From these fractions, 10 esters, corresponding to red- or black-berry fruit descriptors, were characterised by GC–MS. Ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate (ethyl leucate, EL) was identified for the first time in red and white table wines as a compound directly associated with a “fresh blackberry” aroma. Its perception thresholds were 900 and 300μg/l, respectively, in dearomatized red wine and model wine solution (alcohol 12%, pH 3.5), and the average concentration in the various wines was ∼400μg/l. Sensory omission tests highlighted the importance of this compound and identified a perceptive interaction with ethyl butanoate.