Say bye to stale tasting and smelling wine!

Washington – Food scientists suggest that an additive may help curb a chemical reaction that causes wine to look, smell and taste funky.

The researchers added chelation compounds that bind with metals to inhibit oxidation, or oxygen’s ability to react with some of the trace metals that are found in the wine, according to Gal Kreitman, a doctoral candidate in food science, Penn State.

“Oxidation has several bad effects on wine, such as discoloration and a loss of aroma,” Kreitman said.

“It can cause browning, as well as the loss of fruity characteristics, something that is much more noticeable in white wines,” the expert said.

Oxygen usually enters wine through the cork and interacts with metals, particularly iron, setting off a chain reaction that changes compounds that add particular and often disagreeable tastes and smells to the drink, according to the researchers.

Because two types of oxidations states — iron 2 and iron 3 — are present in wine, the researchers looked at iron 2 and iron 3 chelators, including bipyridine, Ferrozine, ethylenediaminetertraacetic acid –EDTA — and phytic acid.

Both types of chelators significantly inhibited the oxidation in the wine, Kreitman said.

The researchers analyzed the concentrations of iron and copper in white wine and also measured the amount of oxidation that occurred after the chelators were added to the wine samples.

The wine was made from pinot gris, a variety of grape that is often used in white wines.

The findings are published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.