Multidimensional analysis of the interaction of volatile compounds and amino acids in the formation of sensory properties of natural wine

The content of free amino acids and aroma compounds present in wine and dependent on the grape variety, conditions of its growing and technology of production form its consumer properties. In this paper, the structure of interactions of amino acids and volatile organic compounds in 150 samples of natural dry red and white wines produced in the Krasnodar region, Russia, (2010–2013) was studied. The aim of this work was to comparatively evaluate the contribution of volatile compounds and amino acids to the sensory properties of wines by using regression, canonical, covariance, factor analyses, as well as principal component analysis. The list of volatile compounds, i.e., acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, methanol, the total content of higher alcohols, acetic acid, and furfural, and such amino acids as arginine, proline, threonine was selected based on their influence on sensory properties of wines. The concentrations of volatile compounds and amino acids in wines were determined by gas chromatography and capillary electrophoresis, respectively. Sensory evaluation was conducted by experts with professional experience in wine tasting. Application of statistical methods allowed to establish intra- and inter-group correlations among amino acids and volatile compounds as well as between the groups of these compounds, which determined sensory properties of wines. More than 80% of the variability of the sensory assessment of wines is determined by the degree of relationship between the selected amino acids and volatile compounds; the contribution of amino acids to this indicator is 4.5-fold higher. The results obtained can be used to predict the sensory assessment of red and white wines based on the levels of volatile compounds and amino acids.