Interactions between wine polyphenols and aroma substances. An insight at the molecular level

Control of the organoleptic quality of wine or grape-derived beverages requires the study of the interactions between flavor volatiles and polyphenols. The influence of catechin and a wine highly condensed tannin fraction on the volatility of aroma substances was investigated using a dynamic headspace technique. In a hydroalcoholic solution, isoamyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, and benzaldehyde appeared to be more retained than limonene at low catechin concentrations (0-5 g/L). The tannin fraction induced a slight decrease of benzaldehyde volatility and a salting out of limonene and had no effect on the two esters. Furthermore, investigations at the molecular level were conducted using (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Chemical shift changes registered upon addition of a ligand to a substrate kept at constant concentration allowed the determination of the dissociation constant in a 1:1 binding model. Complexation with catechin was evaluated to be similarly weak for benzaldehyde and the two esters. In addition, catechin and epicatechin displayed a higher affinity for benzaldehyde than for 3, 5-dimethoxyphenol, supporting the hypothesis of a hydrophobic driving force.