Factors That Affect the Accumulation of Strecker Aldehydes in Standardized Wines: The Importance of pH in Oxidation

Strecker aldehydes (SA) can be formed in wine from the degradation of Strecker and, to a lesser degree, via the oxidation of higher alcohols. The objective of this article is to assess the magnitude of the differences introduced by wine compositional factors other than amino acids and Fe, in the accumulation of SA during oxidation. Eight red, two rosé and two white wines were oxidized. The accumulation of SA was analyzed. Whites and rosés presented negative accumulations for isobutyraldehyde, and in general, these wines accumulated smaller concentrations of the other SA than red wines. Only methional and phenylacetaldehyde were accumulated in all of the wines during oxidation. 2-methylbutanal and 3-methylbutanal were accumulated in 9 out of the 12 wines, whereas isobutyraldehyde was accumulated only in 5 out of the 12. 2-methylbutanal was, on average, the least accumulated aldehyde. Methional was the aldehyde formed most homogenously. Most of the observed differences can be attributed to three factors: the pH, oxidation time and native levels of Strecker aldehydes. The influence of pH was particularly intense in the cases of phenylacetaldehyde and methional. An independent test using synthetic wines with Strecker amino acids and 4-methylcatechol with different pHs (4.2, 3.5 and 2.8) was carried out in order to verify the higher pH value, the greater accumulation in SA after oxidation process. The results strongly suggest the important role played by pH in the accumulation of SA in wine oxidation.