The hidden face of wine polyphenol polymerization highlighted by high-resolution mass spectrometry

Anna Vallverdu Queralt (1) , Emmanuelle Meudec (1) , Matthias Eder (1) , Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventos (2) , Nicolas Sommerer (1) , Veronique Cheynier (1)

1 SPO - Sciences Pour l'Oenologie
2 Nutrition and Food Science Department

Polyphenols, including tannins and red anthocyanin pigments, are responsible for the color, taste, and beneficial health properties of plant-derived foods and beverages, especially in red wines. Known compounds represent only the emerged part of the “wine polyphenol iceberg”. It is believed that the immersed part results from complex cascades of reactions involving grape polyphenols and yeast metabolites. We used a non-targeted strategy based on high-resolution mass spectrometry and Kendrick mass defect plots to explore this hypothesis. Reactions of acetaldehyde, epicatechin, and malvidin-3-O-glucoside, representing yeast metabolites, tannins, and anthocyanins, respectively, were selected for a proof-of-concept experiment. A series of compounds including expected and so-far- unknown structures were detected. Random polymerization involving both the original substrates and intermediate products resulting from cascade reactions was demonstrated.

Mots clés: mass spectrometry; polymerization; mass spectrum analysis; Kendrick mass defect plots; acetaldehyde-mediated condensation; flavonoids; red wine; tannin; cyanin; gustation

Mots clés: polyphénol; tanin; oenologie; vin rouge; spectrométrie de masse; anthocyane; couleur du vin; goût

Domaines: Biologie végétale; Sciences agricoles

Anna Vallverdu Queralt, Emmanuelle Meudec, Matthias Eder, Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventos, Nicolas Sommerer, et al.. The hidden face of wine polyphenol polymerization highlighted by high-resolution mass spectrometry. ChemistryOpen, 2017, 6 (3), pp.336-339. ⟨10.1002/open.201700044⟩. ⟨hal-01559705⟩