The Impact of the Fermentation Strategy on the Flavour Formation of Ilzer Rose (Malus domestica Borkh.) Apple Wine

Abstract

The flavour and the volatilome of apple wines made from the Austrian heritage variety Ilzer Rose was in the scope of this study. The apple wines were produced by adopting oenological practises that are not commonly used in fruit wine production. Different fermentation strategies including the addition of enzymes with β-glucosidase activity, addition of a fining agent, maceration of the mash along with mash fermentation were applied. The volatile compounds of the juices as intermediates and the resulting apple wines were analysed using headspace-SPME GC-MS. CATA technique with a well-trained panel was applied for sensory evaluation. The results show that the flavour of single-variety apple wine can be significantly altered by taking oenological measures. High correlations were found between the results of the analytical investigation and the sensory evaluation. Maceration of the mash leads to an increase in the fruity character of the products, also reflected by significantly higher fruit ester quantities in the wine. During mash fermentation, spontaneous malolactic fermentation was induced leading to a product with new, but thoroughly interesting sensory properties of the apple wine. The results of this study demonstrate that the integration of oenological measures may open a wide field to the development of a high diversity in apple wine flavour.

Physicochemical Attributes, Volatile Profile and Sensory Quality of Organic Crimson Crisp Apples during On-Tree Maturation

“…CATA allowed us to quickly assess a broad range of sensory attributes. While this technique is primarily used with consumers, examples from oenology and also from our own previous research have proved to give good results when CATA is combined with a lower number of trained panelists [ 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”

Impact of Encapsulated Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yeasts on the Chemical and Sensory Profiles of Sparkling Cider Produced by the Champenoise Method

“…Some of the esters in the base cider formed during fermentation were broken down during the secondary fermentation stage. Recent investigations have shown that the most common volatile compounds in ciders and sparkling ciders are higher alcohols [50,51]. The amount of higher alcohols produced during fermentation through the Ehrlich pathway is significantly influenced by amino acids, which are a source of nitrogen for yeasts [52].…”

Volatilomics of Fruit Wines

“…Apple wines and ciders obtained through apple fermentation are particularly popular in Europe, North America, and Australia. The ethanol content of wines and ciders varies, with ciders usually containing less than 8.25% and apple wines containing more than 8.25% [ 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 ]. The production of apple wines is similar to that of grape wines and involves several stages, including fruit maceration, pressing, must fermentation with malolactic fermentation, ageing and stabilisation, and bottling [ 83 , 87 , 88 , 89 ].…”

“…Ruppert et al [ 83 ] investigated the impact of the maceration of apple pomace during wine vinification on the profile of volatile compounds. They observed an increase in the concentration of butanoic acids 1-pentanol, 1-hexanol, 1-heptanol, 1-octanol, and benzyl alcohol after maceration, whereas the amount of the hexanoic acid 3-ethoxy-1-propanol decreased.…”