Contribution of Volatile Odorous Terpenoid Compounds to Aged Cognac Spirits Aroma in a Context of Multicomponent Odor Mixtures

Abstract

Cognac spirit aromas result from the presence of a wide variety of volatile odorous compounds associated with the modalities of spirit distillation and aging. However, very few studies have been carried out on aging notes of Cognac spirits. An HPLC fractionation approach was used in order to evidence fractions of interest recalling the specific aromatic nuances of aged Cognac. Then, a GC-O/MS analysis of the selected fractions allowed one to detect odorous zones and identify several volatile compounds. Among them, various well-known volatile compounds representative of the terpenoid family were highlighted, such as geraniol, α-terpinene, nerol, α-terpineol, 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) and, particularly, piperitone, santalol, and α-campholenal, which have not previously been cited in Cognac. These compounds were quantitated and their detection thresholds were determined. Geraniol, α-terpinene, α-terpineol, and 1,8-cineole concentrations increased while spirits were more aged, while nerol tends to decrease. A sensory contribution of terpenes was observed through perceptual synergic effects, along with β-damascenone and whisky lactone.

Multi-objective evaluation of freshly distilled brandy: Characterisation and distribution patterns of key odour-active compounds

“…Albeit these compounds have been considered as important flavour compounds in aged brandy, e.g. apple brandy ( Coldea et al, 2020 ) and Cognac ( Thibaud, Courregelongue, & Darriet, 2020 ), these were primarily documented as key odour-active compounds in freshly distilled brandy because of the high FD factors.…”

Aromatic maturity is a cornerstone of terroir expression in red wine

“…1,4-cineole is described as minty, cooling piney, camphoraceous, and eucalyptol-like (Antalick et al, 2015). While these cineoles frequently have an environmental origin and impact in Australian, Chilean and Californian wines, due to the proximity of vineyards to Eucalyptus trees (Capone et al, 2011a), these compounds can also have a varietal orgin as it has been shown for wines from Cabernet (Poitou et al, 2017), Ugni blanc (Trebiano bianco; Thibaud et al, 2020) and Corvina (Slaghenaufi and Ugliano, 2018). They can also be induced by the presence of Artemisia verlotiorum in vineyards (Poitou et al, 2017).…”

Aroma Clouds of Foods: A Step Forward to Unveil Food Aroma Complexity Using GC × GC

“…The DVB/CAR/PDMS coating contains both adsorbents that are layered to extend the molecular weight range of analytes extracted with one SPME fiber and the combination with the PDMS, an absorptive-type fiber that also confers a bipolar character ( Shirey, 2012 ; Godage and Gionfriddo, 2019 ; Carriço et al, 2020 ). This arrangement explains the high performance of the DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber for a wide range of chemical species and the fact that it is extensively used for profiling of volatile molecules released from various food items, such as table and fortified wine ( Perestrelo et al, 2011 ; Santos et al, 2013 ; Welke et al, 2014 ; Whitener et al, 2016 ; Rocha et al, 2021 ), beer ( Sterckx et al, 2010 ; Rodriguez-Bencomo et al, 2012 ; Romero-Medina et al, 2020 ), sea salt ( Donadio et al, 2011 ; Silva et al, 2015 ), pear ( Wang et al, 2019 ; Fonseca et al, 2020 ), distilled beverages ( Thibaud et al, 2020 ), coffee ( Ongo et al, 2020 ; Lopes et al, 2021 ), elderberry ( Salvador et al, 2016 ), hazelnut ( Cordero et al, 2010 ; Rosso et al, 2020 ), honey ( Čajka et al, 2007 ; Siegmund et al, 2018 ), dairy products ( Cardinali et al, 2021 ; Székelyhidi et al, 2021 ; Liu et al, 2022 ), virgin olive oil ( Purcaro et al, 2014 ; Ros et al, 2019 ), and cereals ( Buśko et al, 2010 ). Indeed, DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber exhibited the highest sorption capacity for a wide range of VOCs released from honey, comparing with six other fiber coatings ( Čajka et al, 2007 ).…”