Mousy character is an off-flavour in wine that has been described as similar to the smell of caged mice. While there is wide variation in the ability of individuals to perceive this character, for sensitive individuals its presence can render a wine undrinkable.
2-Acetyltetrahydropyridine (ACTPY) is known to be one of the major compounds responsible for mousy off-flavour in wine. However, a practical and reliable method for measuring ACTPY in wine has not been available due to its unstable chemical nature and low odour threshold.
The AWRI helpdesk team has recently developed a sensitive and simple method for the quantitation of ACTPY in wine, which has been published in the Journal of Chromatography A.
Reference:
Hayasaka, Y.; Quantitative analysis of mousy off-flavour compound 2-acetyl tetrahydropyridine in wine using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry interfaced with atmospheric chemical ionisation; Journal of Chromatography A, Volume 1588, 15 March 2019, Pages 108-114
Source: AWRI
