Our study focused on the impact of 12 red wine esters, in complex mixtures, on the perception of fruity aromas. Aromatic reconstructions were prepared in dilute alcohol solution at the average concentrations found in red wines, using pure commercial products. The impact of ethyl propanoate, ethyl-3-hydroxybutanoate, butyl acetate, and 2-methylpropyl acetate was detected by omission tests, although they were present at subthreshold concentrations in the fruity mixture. The "olfactory threshold" of the fruity pool, consisting of all of the esters excluding ethyl propanoate, ethyl-3-hydroxybutanoate, butyl acetate, or 2-methylpropyl acetate was calculated in two different matrices: dilute alcohol solution and dilute alcohol solution supplemented with each of the four compounds mentioned above. The presence of ethyl-3-hydroxybutanoate and 2-methylpropyl acetate in the mixture led to a significant decrease in the olfactory threshold of the fruity pool, demonstrating their synergistic effect in increasing the overall intensity. Sensory profiles revealed that besides ethyl-3-hydroxybutanoate, the omission of each of these compounds had a significant attenuating effect on blackberry and fresh-fruit aroma intensity. These compounds with similar chemical structures participate, both quantitatively and qualitatively, in modulating fruity aromas and, specifically, naturally enhancing blackberry and fresh-fruit aromas.

This study focused on the impact of five higher alcohols on the perception of fruity aroma in red wines. Various aromatic reconstitutions were prepared, consisting of 13 ethyl esters and acetates and 5 higher alcohols, all at the average concentrations found in red wine. These aromatic reconstitutions were prepared in several matrices. Sensory analysis revealed the interesting behavior of certain compounds among the five higher alcohols following their individual addition or omission. The "olfactory threshold" of the fruity pool was evaluated in several matrices: dilute alcohol solution, dilute alcohol solution containing 3-methylbutan-1-ol or butan-1-ol individually, and dilute alcohol solution containing the mixture of five higher alcohols, blended together at various concentrations. The presence of 3-methylbutan-1-ol or butan-1-ol alone led to a significant decrease in the "olfactory threshold" of the fruity reconstitution, whereas the mixture of alcohols raised the olfactory threshold. Sensory profiles highlighted changes in the perception of fruity nuances in the presence of the mixture of higher alcohols, with specific perceptive interactions, including a relevant masking effect on fresh- and jammy-fruit notes of the fruity mixture in both dilute alcohol solution and dearomatized red wine matrices. When either 3-methylbutan-1-ol or butan-1-ol was added to the fruity reconstitution in dilute alcohol solution, an enhancement of butyric notes was reported with 3-methylbutan-1-ol and fresh- and jammy-fruit with butan-1-ol. This study, the first to focus on the impact of higher alcohols on fruity aromatic expression, revealed that these compounds participate, both quantitatively and qualitatively, in masking fruity aroma perception in a model fruity wine mixture.

A preparative HPLC method was applied to aromatic red wine extracts. Twenty-five fractions with various flavors were thus obtained, and several aromatic reconstitutions were produced by mixing some of these fractions. Discriminative tests revealed that the omission of some fractions from the mixture of fruity fractions or the addition of others affected the overall expression of fruity aroma. Sensory profile analyses identified significant differences among aromatic reconstitutions in terms of intensity of black-berry, as well as fresh-, and jammy-fruit descriptors. A fraction with a very low fruity note (fraction 17) had an additive effect on the fresh fruity aroma, while fractions with caramel and lactic notes (fractions 3-5) had a masking effect on this aroma and an additive effect on the jammy-fruit aroma. Further analysis revealed that ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate was eluted in fraction 17, while diacetyl, acetoin, acetic acid, and γ-butyrolactone were eluted in fractions 3-5. Omissions tests established that ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate was responsible for enhancing black-berry and fresh-fruit aroma and that a combination of diacetyl, acetoin, acetic acid, and γ-butyrolactone, at levels between 2 and 40% of their perception thresholds, had the same hypoadditive effect on the overall and fresh fruity aroma as fractions 3-5.