Release and Formation of Oxidation-Related Aldehydes during Wine Oxidation

Twenty-four Spanish wines were subjected to five consecutive cycles of air saturation at 25 degrees C. Free and bound forms of carbonyls were measured in the initial samples and after each saturation. Nonoxidized commercial wines contain important and sensory relevant amounts of oxidation-related carbonyls under the form of odorless bound forms. Models relating the contents in total aldehydes to the wine chemical composition suggest that fermentation can be a major origin for Strecker aldehydes: methional, phenylacetaldehyde, isobutyraldehyde, 2-methylbutanal, and isovaleraldehyde. Bound forms are further cleaved, releasing free aldehydes during the first steps of wine oxidation, as a consequence of equilibrium shifts caused by the depletion of SO2. At low levels of free SO2, de novo formation and aldehyde degradation are both observed. The relative importance of these phenomena depends on both the aldehyde and the wine. Models relating aldehyde formation rates to wine chemical composition suggest that amino acids are in most cases the most important precursors for de novo formation.