ICASAT 2025
Chemistry with a Taste of Wine
Friday, October 3rd, 2025
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Presented by MTA. Fabiola Ruiz Frías
Food Chemical Engineer (UAQ), wine and flavor enthusiast, she studied a diploma program in wine offered by the Mexican Association of Sommeliers and pursued a master’s degree in the same area at CICATA-Qro. She had the opportunity to carry out a research stay at Oregon State University (OSU), where she collaborated on projects aimed at identifying the key aromatic compounds in Wuliangye and Moutai, two traditional Chinese alcoholic beverages made from fermented rice and wheat. She is currently a doctoral student at CICATA-Qro, exploring new areas within the food sciences.
Course Prerequisites: You must be of legal age to join us! We wait to have you on board!
Wine is one of the most studied beverages from both chemical and sensory perspectives, due to the complex interaction of its components with human taste and smell receptors. Beyond its basic composition, the aromatic profile of wine reflects its raw materials, vinification process, and storage.
To date, over 800 volatile compounds have been identified in different types of wine, including esters, terpenes, aldehydes, and phenolic compounds, each contributing uniquely to the sensory perception of this beverage.Aroma perception in wine is a complex phenomenon involving interrelated chemical and biological processes.
Unlike taste, which is detected through receptors on the tongue, aromas depend on the interaction of volatile molecules with olfactory receptors in the nasal cavity. This mechanism enables the recognition of a wide range of compounds with detection concentrations in the parts per billion (ppb) range or even lower. This workshop will explore the chemical and biological fundamentals behind aroma perception in wine. Topics will include differences in grape chemical composition, the impact of fermentation, and the Crabtree effect in volatile metabolite production. Laboratory techniques for identifying aromatic compounds, such as Solid Phase Micro-Extraction (SPME), will also be discussed.
Finally, the biological process of aroma perception will be compared with the principles of gas chromatography, highlighting the importance of Key Odor Compounds for identifying food or reproducing them as artificial flavors. The workshop will conclude with a practical wine tasting session, applying the discussed concepts to identify the primary aromatic descriptors present in different samples.
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