Wine made from grapes exposed to bushfire smoke can exhibit unpleasant smoky, ashy characters, which have been attributed to the presence of smoke-derived volatile phenols, in free or glycosylated forms. Here we report the uptake and glycosylation of volatile phenols by grapes following exposure of Cabernet Sauvignon vines to smoke, and their fate during winemaking. A significant delay was observed in the conversion of volatile phenols to their corresponding glycoconjugates, which suggests sequestration, the presence of intermediates within the glycosylation pathway and/or other volatile phenol storage forms. This finding has implications for industry in terms of detecting smoke-affected grapes following vineyard smoke exposure. The potential for an in-canopy sprinkler system to mitigate the uptake of smoke-derived volatile phenols by grapes, by spraying grapevines with water during smoke exposure, was also evaluated. While “misting” appeared to partially mitigate the uptake of volatile phenols by grapes during grapevine exposure to smoke, it did not readily influence the concentration of volatile phenols or the sensory perception of smoke taint in wine. Commercial sensors were used to monitor the concentration of smoke particulate matter (PM) during grapevine exposure to low and high density smoke. Similar PM profiles were observed, irrespective of smoke density, such that PM concentrations did not reflect the extent of smoke exposure by grapes or risk of taint in wine. The sensors could nevertheless be used to monitor the presence of smoke in vineyards during bushfires, and hence, the need for compositional analysis of grapes to quantify smoke taint marker compounds.

(E)-1-(2,3,6-Trimethylphenyl)buta-1,3-diene (TPB) was identified as a potent odorant in acid hydrolysates of crude glycoconjugate fractions isolated from grapes and grape vine leaves. TPB was also identified in a Semillon wine, using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, by co-injection with an authentic sample. TPB had an aroma detection threshold of 40 ng/L in a neutral white wine and the concentration of TPB in four out of five white wines analyzed ranged from 50 to 210 ng/L.

A series of four isomeric 3,9-dihydroxymegastigma-4,6,7-trienes, 8, has been prepared. The (3S,6R,9S) isomer of 8 proved to be identical to an isomer of this compound tentatively identified as an intermediate in the formation of damascenone from an allene triol. Each of the four isomers, when hydrolyzed independently of each other at pH 3.0 and 25 degrees C, produced product mixtures in which the major product was damascenone (1). Contrary to expectation, 3-hydroxydamascone (5) was not observed in any of the hydrolyses. Consequently, the mechanism of formation of damascenone proposed earlier requires modification. In each hydrolysis, the product mixtures showed the presence of a second isomer of 8, produced by epimerization during hydrolysis. Chiral analysis on a Cyclosil B column revealed that this epimerization was occurring at C(3) in each of the hydrolyses.

No abstract

. Food Chem. 2008, 56, 9183. In the first paragraph of the Discussion, the half-life values in parentheses should be interchanged, that is, the sentence in question should read as follows: "The hydrolytic data reported here show that the rates of formation of 1 from 6 (half-lives (t 1/2 ) of 40 and 65 h at pH 3.0 and 3.2, respectively) are lower than from 5 (half-lives of 32 and 48 h, respectively, at the same pH values) ( Table 1)."

Storage of megastigma-4,6,7-trien-3,9-diol (5), and megastigma-3,4-dien-7-yn-9-ol (6) in aqueous ethanol solution at pH 3.0 and 3.2 gave exclusively damascenone (1) and damascenone adducts at room temperature. The diol (5) had half-lives for the conversion of 32 and 48 h at pH 3.0 and pH 3.2, respectively. The acetylenic alcohol (6) had half-lives of 40 and 65 h at the same pH levels. In order to study the reactivity of the C-9 hydroxyl function in 5 and in the previously investigated allenic triol 2, two model compounds, megastigma-4,6,7-trien-9-ol (7) and megastigma-6,7-dien-9-ol (8) were synthesized. No 1,3-transposition of oxygen to form analogues of damascenone was observed when 7 and 8 were subjected to mild acidic conditions. Such transposition takes place only with highly conjugated acetylenic precursors such as 6 or tertiary allenic alcohols such as 2. The placement of glucose at C-3 of 5 and at C-9 of 6 gave the glycosides 9 and 10, respectively. The effect of such glucoconjugation was to increase the observed half-lives by a factor of only 1.6-1.7 for the allenic glucoside 9, and by 2.1-2.2 for the acetylenic glucoside 10. These studies indicate that the effect of glycosylation on damascenone formation is probably not important on the time scale of wine making and maturation.

Taint in grapes and wine following vineyard exposure to bushfire smoke continues to challenge the financial viability of grape and wine producers worldwide. In response, researchers are studying the chemical, sensory and physiological consequences of grapevine smoke exposure. However, studies involving winemaking trials are often limited by the availability of suitable quantities of smoke-affected grapes, either from vineyards exposed to smoke or from field trials involving the application of smoke to grapevines. This study compared the accumulation of volatile phenol glycosides (as compositional markers of smoke taint) in Viognier and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes exposed to smoke pre- vs. post-harvest, and found post-harvest smoke exposure of fruit gave similar levels of volatile phenol glycosides to fruit exposed to smoke pre-harvest. Furthermore, wines made from smoke-affected fruit contained similar levels of smoke-derived volatile phenols and their glycosides, irrespective of whether smoke exposure occurred pre- vs. post-harvest. Post-harvest smoke exposure therefore provides a valid approach to generating smoke-affected grapes in the quantities needed for winemaking trials and/or trials that employ both chemical and sensory analysis of wine.

Background Pregnancy complications can impact the mother and child’s health in the short and longterm resulting in an increased risk of chronic disease later in life. Telomere length is a biomarker of future cardiometabolic diseases and may offer a novel way of identifying offspring most at risk for future chronic diseases. Objective(s) To qualitatively explore General Practitioners’ (GPs) perspectives on the feasibility and uptake for recommending a telomere screening test in children who were born after a pregnancy complication. Methods Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with GPs within metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed for codes and themes. Results Two themes were generated: ethical considerations and practical considerations. Ethically, the GP participants discussed barriers including consenting on behalf of a child, parental guilt, and the impact of health insurance, whereas viewing it for health promotion was a facilitator. For practical considerations, barriers included the difficulty in identifying people eligible for screening, maintaining medical communication between service providers, and time and financial constraints, whereas linking screening for telomere length with existing screening would facilitate uptake. Conclusions GPs were generally supportive of potential telomere screening in infants, particularly via a saliva test that could be embedded in current antenatal care. However, several challenges, such as lack of knowledge, ethical considerations, and time and financial constraints, need to be overcome before such a test could be implemented into practice.