Comprehensive Evaluation of Ten Actinidia arguta Wines Based on Color, Organic Acids, Volatile Compounds, and Quantitative Descriptive Analysis

Abstract

<i>Actinidia arguta</i> wine is a low-alcoholic beverage brewed from <i>A. arguta</i> with a unique flavor and sweet taste. In this study, the basic physicochemical indicators, color, organic acid, and volatile aroma components of wines made from the <i>A. arguta</i> varieties 'Kuilv', 'Fenglv', 'Jialv', 'Wanlv', 'Xinlv', 'Pinglv', 'Lvbao', 'Cuiyu', 'Tianxinbao', and 'Longcheng No.2' were determined, and a sensory evaluation was performed. The findings show that 'Tianxinbao' produced the driest extract (49.59 g/L), 'Kuilv' produced the most Vitamin C (913.46 mg/L) and total phenols (816.10 mg/L), 'Jialv' produced the most total flavonoids (477.12 mg/L), and 'Cuiyu' produced the most tannins (4.63 g/L). We analyzed the color of the <i>A. arguta</i> wines based on <i>CIEL</i>*<i>a</i>*<i>b</i>* parameters and found that the 'Kuilv' and 'Longcheng No.2' wines had the largest <i>L</i>* value (31.65), the 'Pinglv' wines had the greatest <i>a</i>* value (2.88), and the 'Kuilv' wines had the largest <i>b</i>* value (5.08) and C*<i>_ab</i> value (5.66) of the ten samples. A total of eight organic acids were tested in ten samples via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and we found that there were marked differences in the organic acid contents in different samples (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The main organic acids were citric acid, quinic acid, and malic acid. The aroma description of a wine is one of the keys to its quality. A total of 51 volatile compounds were identified and characterized in ten samples with headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry, including 24 esters, 12 alcohols, 9 aldehydes, 3 aldehydes, 2 terpenes, and 1 acid, with the highest total volatile compound content in 'Fenglv'. There were no significant differences in the types of volatile compounds, but there were significant differences in the contents (<i>p</i> < 0.05). An orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) based on the odor activity value (OAV) showed that ethyl butanoate, ethyl pentanoate, ethyl crotonate, ethyl isobutyrate, butyl butanoate, 2-methylbutanal, ethyl isovalerate, and ethyl hexanoate were the main odorant markers responsible for flavor differences between all the <i>A. arguta</i> wines. Sensory evaluation is the most subjective and effective way for consumers to judge <i>A. arguta</i> wine quality. A quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) of the aroma profiles of ten grapes revealed that the 'fruity' and 'floral' descriptors are the main and most essential parts of the overall flavor of <i>A. arguta</i> wines. 'Tianxinbao' had the highest total aroma score. The flavor and quality of <i>A. arguta</i> wines greatly depend on the type and quality of the <i>A. arguta</i> raw material. Therefore, high-quality raw materials can improve the quality of <i>A. arguta</i> wines. The results of the study provide a theoretical basis for improving the quality of <i>A. arguta</i> wines and demonstrate the application prospects of HS-GC-IMS in detecting <i>A. arguta</i> wine flavors.