Hydrogen Sulfide Formation in Canned Wines Under Long-Term and Accelerated Conditions

Abstract

Background and goals. Wines in aluminum beverage cans ("canned wines") are a rapidly growing packaging segment due to several factors, including convenience and sustainability advantages. However, canned wines have higher concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S; "rotten egg") than wines in glass packaging. It was hypothesized that wine composition and liner selection affect H2S formation in canned wines.Methods and key findings. Commercial wines (n=10) were stored in either glass or aluminum beverage cans with one of three liners for up to 32 weeks. Wines stored in glass showed AJEV Papers in Press.

Hydrogen Sulfide Formation in Canned Wines: Variation Among Can Sources

“…Across wines, the best predictor of H 2 S accumulation during can storage was the initial concentration of molecular SO 2 ; similar results were observed under accelerated aging conditions using lined aluminum coupons. Free SO 2 and pH were also well-correlated with H 2 S production, but other factors (i.e., total SO 2 , chloride, copper, and alcohol) were poorly correlated with H 2 S production (Montgomery et al 2023). Based on these results, H 2 S formation was hypothesized to occur through the following reaction , Montgomery et al 2023):…”

“…Free SO 2 and pH were also well-correlated with H 2 S production, but other factors (i.e., total SO 2 , chloride, copper, and alcohol) were poorly correlated with H 2 S production (Montgomery et al 2023). Based on these results, H 2 S formation was hypothesized to occur through the following reaction , Montgomery et al 2023):…”

“…Despite the presence of a liner, there is good evidence that canned wine may react with an aluminum beverage can to generate hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S, "rotten egg" aroma, ~1 µg/L odor threshold) . Recent work demonstrated that glass packaged commercial wines developed only trace levels of H 2 S (<6 µg/L, and typically undetectable) after eight months, but that the same wines could produce high levels of H 2 S (>1000 µg/L) when stored in acrylic lined cans (Montgomery et al 2023). Suprathreshold H 2 S concentrations (up to ~50 µg/L) were also observed in BPA epoxy and BPA-NI epoxy cans Sacks 2021, Montgomery et al 2023).…”

“…Earlier work evaluated liners sourced from a single can manufacturer; variation in H 2 S formation among can manufacturers with similar liner chemistries was not considered (Montgomery et al 2023). We hypothesized that H 2 S formation during long-term storage in canned wines would vary among can manufacturers even for the same liner type.…”

“…Seam quality was validated using a standard industry protocol consisting of measuring the seam thicknesses at four different points (first operation, second operation, cover hook, body hook) at three locations around the seam (Oktober Design 2024). Prior to the canning experiments, total package oxygen (TPO, or the sum of liquid and headspace O 2 , normalized against volume) was measured as described elsewhere using model wine (Montgomery et al 2023). For TPO measurements, O 2 in the can headspace and liquid were equilibrated by gently agitating for one hour.…”