Formation of the mousy off-flavor-associated compound 2-acetyl pyridine in model solutions

Abstract The formation of the mousy off-flavor causing agent 2-acetyl pyridine (AP) in model solutions under various circumstances was analyzed. Mainly temperature and pH value determine the formation of AP, while SO 2 and ascorbic acid do not seem to have any considerable effect on the formation. Moreover, our results show that the effect of temperature considerably surmounts the effect of pH. Consequently, winemakers are advised to always keep their wines at temperatures below 14 °C to avoid formation of AP from proline and methyl glyoxal.