Characterization of aged champagne wine aroma by GC-O and descriptive profile analyses

This paper aimed to characterise and compare the changes in champagne aroma with aging, in normal or accelerated conditions (at 40 degrees C), by sensory, GC-O and GC-MS analyses. Initially, extract representativeness was tested by triangle and similarity tests and descriptive profiles were established for young and aged samples by a expert panel. The intensity of floral and fruity notes were shown to decrease with aging. Oak and evolution characters increased, although there were some other sensory differences between the two aged products. GC-O differences could be related to several phenomena. Three processes were characteristic of normal aging: firstly, the Strecker reaction of amino acids to produce 3-(methylthio)-1-propanal and ethyl furaneol; secondly, the generation of eugenol, and thirdly, the oxidation of sensitive flavor compounds such as furaneol. Other processes were also characteristic of accelerated aging: the degradation of unsaturated fatty acids to form cis-3-hexenol; the formation of 2,3-butanedione and guaiacol; and the metabolism of phenylalanine to produce benzaldehyde. So, although common types of reactions were present in both aging methods we can conclude that champagne heating is not an aging method which is identical to the standard technological aging procedure.