Frequency of reductive and other undesirable odours in wine quality control

Miris vina je kompleksna i kreativna referenca kakvoće i vrlo važan čimbenik u izboru vina. Nepoželjni mirisi stoga nisu prihvatljivi, a neki mogu biti i štetni za zdravlje. Posljednjih dvadesetak godina posebice se bilježi porast kompleksnih neugodnih sumpornih mirisa. Cilj ovog rada bio je analizirati učestalost pojave nepoželjnih mirisa u hrvatskim vinima prije stavljanja na tržište. U analizi su korišteni rezultati senzornih ispitivanja vina za razdoblje 2008.-2019., za oksidaciju, octikavost, etil acetat, sumporovodik i merkaptanske mirise, kao glavne probleme mirisa. Uočen je trend pada udjela loših uzoraka u odnosu na čitavo promatrano razdoblje. Dodatna analiza provedena je za sumporne nepoželjne mirise, za razdoblje 2014.-2019., pri čemu je utvrđen porast problema reduktivnih mirisa općenito, a posebno izražen porast mirisa merkaptanskih spojeva. Obzirom na brojnost i složenost čimbenika kakvoće, ovi rezultati upućuju na potrebu kontinuirane kontrole proizvodnje i traženja načina za sprečavanje nastanka nepoželjnih mirisa vina.The aroma of wine is a complex and creative reference of quality and a very important factor in the consumer choice of wine. The undesirable smell is therefore not acceptable, especially as some can be harmful to health. In addition to the continuity of the most important faults, an increase in the occurrence of complex unpleasant sulfur odors was observed in the last two decades. The goal of this study was to analyze the intensity of the occurrence of the most important wine faults in Croatian wines, before placing them on the market. Oxidation, volatile acidity, ethyl acetate, hydrogen sulfide, and mercaptans odours were studied. The results of sensory analyses of wine for the period 2008-2019 were processed. Additional analysis was performed for sulfur off-flavours for the period 2014-2019. Indicators of the decline in the share of samples with faults concerning all samples, were not obtained. The order of poor quality causes throughout the observed period was not changed, and it is as follows: oxidation, hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans, volatile acidity and ethyl acetate, and from minor problems mold. The increase in the problem of reductive smell, in general, has been observed. A serious problem is an increase in the fault of the mercaptans smell in the last five years. Although the technological standards of grape and wine production have advanced greatly, the causes of poor quality still exist, and some are even more pronounced. Given the number and complexity of quality factors, these results suggest the need for constant monitoring of production and search for ways to prevent the emergence of undesirable wine odors