A US research team identifies the culprit behind canned wine's rotten egg smell

While it is the fastest growing sector of the wine-packaging market, canned wine faces a few hurdles. It's not considered as elegant as wine in a bottle, and it's not as popular as the formerly maligned "wine bag in a box." There is also the unfortunate fact—and there is no gentle way to put this—that canned wine occasionally smells like rotten eggs.A team led by Gavin Sacks, Ph.D. and Julie Goddard, Ph.D., both professors of food science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is working with wineries, manufacturers and New York state to eliminate that "off" aroma by ever-so-slightly altering the product's formulation and packaging, which is also prone to corrosion.In recent research published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture (AJEV), the team found that the choice of the ultrathin plastic coating inside aluminum cans can go a long way towards improving the aroma of the beverage and the lifespan of its container.The collaboration began several years ago, ...