Flavour Science: Chapter 80. Comparison of Muscadine Ester Volatiles Profiles of Wines Produced Using Pectinase Pre-Treatment and Traditional Methods

Volatile esters in juice and wines from Vitis rotundifolia, cv. Noble wine after one and three years were examined utilizing static headspace solid phase microextraction (SPME) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Wine samples included 24h and 48h traditional skin contact, 5h and 10h pectinolytic enzyme treatments after one and three years. Unfermented juice esters consisted primarily (72%) of ethyl acetate. Both young (1Y) and old (3Y) wine esters were characterized by high levels of ethyl octanoate. Ester levels of enzyme-treated wines decreased 42–55% in the three-year wine. A similar decrease was observed in the 48h skin contact samples. Conversely, samples with 24h skin contact displayed a 10% increase in ester volatiles.