Linking red wine chemical composition with vulnerability to Brettanomyces bruxellensis development through untargeted...

The presence of Brettanomyces bruxellensis in the wine often leads to the development of unwanted smells recalling "horse sweet" or "henhouse". This represents a main issue for winemakers, especially in low additive wines. As wines do not all display the same ability to support B. bruxellensis growth (wine permissiveness), the aim of this study was to examine the link between wine permissiveness and chemical composition. Untargeted LC-UV-MS metabolomics analysis was performed to identify potential permissiveness markers. Fifteen LC-MS features were identified as relevant variables to create a red wine permissiveness prediction model (98% precision). LC-UV chromatograms were then used as wine chemical fingerprints and supported the link between wine composition and permissiveness. Out of the fifteen most significant LC-MS variables, nine potential B. bruxellensis growth modulators were dereplicated: malvidin-3-O-beta-D-glucoside, myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, B-type dimer gallate, laricitrin-O-glycoside, protocatechuate and benzoic acid +2O, O-Hex.