Abstract
Evidence is presented showing that oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde by direct chemical reaction with air occurs at an appreciable rate in wine only by a coupled autoxidation of certain phenolic substances occurring in the wine. The oxidation of vicinal di- and tri-hydroxyphenols like caffeic acid, catechin, or myricetin in 12% ethanol model wine produced acetaldehyde. Similar reaction in aqueous 1-propanol produced propanal showing that the source of the volatile aldehyde is the wine's alcohol. A mechanism is postulated which appears to be general for autoxidation of phenols, ascorbic acid, melanoidins, reductones, enediols, and related compounds whereby the oxidation of the phenol to a quinone (or ascorbic to dehydroascorbic, etc.) coproduces a strong oxidant, probably hydrogen peroxide, which then can oxidize other substances in the wine such as ethanol. Relevance of these findings to wine storage and aging reactions is discussed.
- Accepted April 1974.
- Published online January 1974
- Copyright 1974 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture
Sign in for ASEV members
ASEV Members, please sign in at ASEV to access the journal online.
Sign in for Institutional and Non-member Subscribers
Log in using your username and password
Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 2 day for US$10.00
Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.