Effect of multi‐step chaptalisation on physicochemical properties, potentially harmful alcohols, nutritional composition and volatile profiles of kiwi wine

Abstract

Summary Chaptalisation is commonly used to ameliorate the potential alcohol of kiwi wine prior to fermentation. It can be performed either by one‐time sugaring or via multiple supplementations of sugar. However, for both approaches, their precise effects on chemical composition of kiwi wine are unclear. Thus, this study evaluated the influence of five different multi‐step chaptalisation strategies on physicochemical parameters, potentially harmful alcohols, nutritional composition and volatile compounds of kiwi wine. Results show that multi‐step chaptalisation significantly reduced total acidity and harmful alcohols of the resulting kiwi wine. Among the harmful alcohols, the greatest reduction was seen for isoamyl alcohol and isobutanol. Additionally, multi‐step chaptalisation also modified volatile profile of the kiwi wine, particularly in acetate esters (isoamyl acetate and phenethyl acetate), ethyl esters, n‐octanal and decanal. Together, our results highlight the potential of using multi‐step chaptalisation to produce ‘healthier’ kiwi wines with more balanced alcohol and more complexed flavour.