Musty and Moldy Taint in Wines: A Review

Abstract

The literature about musty and moldy taint—the so-called cork taint—in wines is varied because there are many different molecules involved in this wine defect. Chloroanisoles are the most relevant compound responsible for cork taint and of these, 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) is the most common, but 2,3,4,6-tetrachloroanisole (TeCA) and 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA) can also be responsible of this defect. For other compounds involved in cork taint, geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) are responsible for earthy off-flavor; pyrazines cause vegetable odors, and guaiacol results in smoked, phenolic and medicinal defects. Off-odors of mushroom in wines are caused by 1-octen-3-ol and 1-octen-3-one coming from grapes contaminated by bunch rot (Botrytis cinerea). The sensory aspects of these molecules are illustrated in this review. Generally, the most important cause of this wine contamination is the natural cork of bottle stoppers, but this is not always true. Different origins of contamination include air pollution of the cellars, wood materials, barrels and chips. A review of the possible prevention or remedial treatments to cork taint is also presented. The best solution for this off-flavor is to prevent the wine contaminations.

Bottle Aging and Storage of Wines: A Review

“…By other hand, geosmin, or guaicol are the result of bacterial or fungal contamination of the wine and/or the stopper. To avoid the spoilage caused by these compounds, preventive measures to avoid contamination must be taken during the winemaking process, as well as a proper storage of the bottles in a likewise sanitized environment [ 169 , 170 ]. Nevertheless, sanitizers used must be free of chlorine, since this chemical might bind with cork components to form TCA and TBA [ 171 ].…”

Interactions between Polyphenols and Volatile Compounds in Wine: A Literature Review on Physicochemical and Sensory Insights

“…Thus, considering the observed negative impact at increasing levels and the polymerization of PPhs on the release of esters and β-damascenone [62], it can be argued that this could correspond to a significant diminution of the fruity character of red wines, especially in aged and/or woody ones. Concerning 1-octen-3-one, a compound involved in the cork taint [77,78], it could be interesting to test if the concentration and the nature of PPhs could be useful in managing the sensory impact of this off-flavor.…”

Development and optimization of a quantitative analysis of main odorants causing off flavours in cork stoppers using headspace solid‐phase microextraction gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

“…In the case of MDMP, it was identified as the second most common compound, after TCA 5,6 causing the mouldy smell in Australian wines 5 . The reasons why these compounds appear in bottled wine are varied and include contaminated grapes, air pollution in the wine‐cellars, wooden materials, barrels and chips and cork stoppers 2,7 …”

“…5 The reasons why these compounds appear in bottled wine are varied and include contaminated grapes, air pollution in the winecellars, wooden materials, barrels and chips and cork stoppers. 2,7 The presence of off flavours in wine is one of the most critical problems as it affects the quality of the wine, ultimately causing financial loss to the wineries. 8 Because removing off flavours is not easy, preventing them occurring is the best solution.…”