Volatile Compounds in Acacia, Chestnut, Cherry, Ash, and Oak Woods, with a View to Their Use in Cooperage

Abstract

Extracts of wood from acacia, European ash, American ash, chestnut, cherry, and three oak species (Quercus pyrenaica, Quercus alba and Quercus petraea) before and after toasting in cooperage were studied by GC-MS. 110 compounds were detected, and 97 of them were identified. In general, all studied woods showed more lignin derivatives than lipid and carbohydrate derivatives, with a higher variety of compounds detected and abundance of them. The toasting led to an increase in the concentrations of most of these compounds, and this increase is especially important in acacia, chestnut and ash woods. The cis and trans isomers of beta-methyl-gamma-octalactone and isobutyrovanillone were only detected in oak wood, 3,4-dimethoxyphenol and 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde only in acacia wood, and p-anisaldehyde and benzylsalicylate only in cherry wood, before and after toasting, and these compounds could be considered chemical markers for each one of these woods. Moreover, each wood has a characteristic volatile composition, from a quantitative point of view, and therefore we can expect a characteristic sensorial profile. The oak wood turned out to be the most balanced, since although it provides a lot of volatile compounds to the aroma and flavor of aged wine, it can do so without masking their primary and secondary aroma. On the whole, toasted acacia and chestnut woods showed a very high richness of studied compounds, as lignin as lipid and carbohydrate derivatives, while cherry and ash were much richer than toasted oak wood in lignin derivatives, but much poorer in lipid and carbohydrate derivatives.

LC‐DAD/ESI‐MS/MS study of phenolic compounds in ash (Fraxinus excelsior L. and F. americana L.) heartwood. Effect of toasting intensity at cooperage

“…[8][9][10] One of the woods that could be considered as a possible alternative to oak is ash wood. Although no data have been found in regarding its oenological usage, we did find a volatile composition in an early work [6] that was qualitatively very similar to oak. It did, however, show some differences.…”

“…These compounds were frequently found in phenolic extracts from other woods for cooperage, [8][9][10]16] with the exception of hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. These last two compounds were isolated in F. americana leaves, [20] and tyrosol was also identified in F. americana and F. excelsior heartwood by GC-MS. [6] Peak 18 showed a UV/Vis spectrum suggestive of cinnamic compound or the hydroxycoumarin esculetin, and a mass spectrum consistent …”

“…An evaluation similar to those carried out over the last 20 years regarding oak wood for cooperage is also needed. In fact, some papers have been recently published about the volatile composition of woods other than oak, with a view towards their use in barrel making, [5][6][7] and with the same objective, the phenolic composition of chestnut, cherry and acacia seasoned and toasted woods has been studied in our research group. [8][9][10] One of the woods that could be considered as a possible alternative to oak is ash wood.…”

Phenolic and furanic compounds of Portuguese chestnut and French, American and Portuguese oak wood chips

“…In the last few years, several studies were focused on the chemical composition of French, American and Spanish oak woods as well as the influence of different factors, such as botanical species and geographic origin, the age of the wood, time and seasoning technique, and the heat treatment [2,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. The toasting level of wood plays a significant role on wine aging.…”

“…The toasting level of wood plays a significant role on wine aging. In fact, during the heating treatment, large wood polymers such as lignin or cellulose and hemicelluloses [12] are fragmented by high temperature, and many compounds such as phenols, phenolic aldehydes, furanic derivatives and lactones are formed and transferred to the wine [6]. Thus, the study of the interaction between wood species and toasting levels is of great importance, in order to establish its influence on wine properties.…”