Winning over the microbe that causes wine-tainting
Researchers have identified MDMP compound as the microbe to be the main reason behind wine contamination, as per a study.
“This is a valuable step. Once you have identified and characterized it, you can look for it in the environment, understand its metabolism and understand under what conditions does this bug grow and get into our food. The more you know the easier it is to control.” says flavor Chemist Mark Sefton of University of Adelaide in Australia. This was reported Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Steps have been taken in order to find out the cause of wine contamination. This helps the winemakers to take necessary steps to avoid further damage.
“Depending on the quantity of contamination, 2-methoxy-3,5-dimethylpyrazine, or MDMP, may just make a wine smell “off”. The first impression may be something is not correct — not that the wine is contaminated — but it is bad. You say ‘I am in front of a bad wine” - says Pacal Chatonnet of Excell Laboratory in Merignac, France, new work.
Chatonnet’s team also reported that a bug could be getting into the wine via oak chips and this applied to many winemakers who don’t use the oak barrels used to impart tannins and flavor.
Recent research focuses on efforts of winemakers and cork producers to eliminate the microbe that makes TCA or stop its production. This has considerably shown a decrease in TCA.
There would be no more chlorinated water for rinsing the corks. This thereby avoids fungicides that contain chlorine which has important ingredient in TCA.The findings also give an overview of how the microbes can be prevented. Various experiments have been conducted in order to make wine more pleasant and store the same for longer period.