Effect of acidity on flavor perception and retronasal aroma release intensity of Gewürztraminer wine paired with boiled chicken

Abstract

This study investigated sensory perception and in vivo retronasal aroma release of Gewürztraminer wine subjected to three pH-adjustment treatments (pH 2.8, pH 3.3, and pH 3.8) during co-consumption with boiled chicken. Sensory evaluations and proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-TOF-MS) were used to characterize static and temporal sensory responses and retronasal aroma-release patterns. The pH 2.8 treatment exhibited significantly higher intensities of floral (23.16%-40.88%), citrus (24.27%-45.77%), stone (28.04%-40.35%) and tropical (24.28%-42.42%) fruit aromas than the pH 3.3 and pH 3.8 treatments (P < 0.05), but its perceived wine body was 39.22% lower than that of the pH 3.8 treatment (P < 0.05). Dynamic sensory tests indicated that the pH 3.3 treatment generally showed earlier and higher pre-swallowing maxima for the principal floral and fruity attributes and received the highest overall liking score, whereas the pH 2.8 treatment showed greater cumulative aroma perception and stronger post-swallowing persistence. PTR-TOF-MS analysis further showed that overall retronasal ion-release intensity was highest in the pH 2.8 treatment. Eight ions associated with flavor differences among the pH-adjusted treatments, particularly those involving the pH 2.8 treatment, were tentatively assigned to nine candidate volatile compounds, including decanoic acid, ethyl octanoate, 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, 2,3-butanediol, citronellol, ethyl 2-hydroxypropionate, ethyl hexadecanoate, 2-phenylethyl acetate, and benzyl alcohol. Candidate chicken-associated volatile compounds may contribute to floral and fruity perception and enhance overall aroma complexity. This work provides insight into flavor responses associated with acidity adjustment during wine-food co-consumption and offers a theoretical basis for evidence-based wine-food pairing and white-wine flavor optimization.