Potent aroma compounds of two red wine vinegars

Gas chromatography olfactometry (GCO) was used to determine key aroma compounds of two red wine vinegars. Sensory analysis was performed to choose the best neutralization agent of acetic acid (NaOH or MgO) and to test representativeness of four extracts obtained by different methods (dichloromethane extraction, XAD-2, mixture of XAD-2 and XAD-7, and Extrelut resins extraction). Neutralization with NaOH followed by dichloromethane extraction was selected to extract volatile compounds of vinegars. Key odorant compounds were determined by GCO based on detection frequency with 13 people. In the two red wine vinegars, 13 odors were perceived by at least 70% of the panelists, and 8 compounds among the 13 were identified: acetic acid, 3-methylbutyric acid, 2-phenyl-1-ethanol, 2,3-butanedione, butyric acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, mixture of 2- and 3-methyl-1-butanol, and two newly identified compounds in vinegar, 3-hydroxy-2-pentanone and 3-(methylthio)-1-propanal. Quantification of all the volatile compounds was performed by GC-FID, and 10 other compounds were identified for the first time in wine vinegar.