Monoterpenes in grapes

Figure 5- Categories of monoterpenes in grapes. "Reproduced with permission from Ref. (98). Copyright 1985, Practical Winery".

By contrast, biosynthetic studies on whole fruits have been limited and, probably because of the low levels of monoterpenes In grapes, the pathways In Vltls species remain unexplored. Since monoterpenes important to the flavor of grapes are mainly acyclic, Interconversions of neryl, geranyl and llnalyl derivatives may be of special significance. The oxidative steps leading to polyol production represent a shunt of flavor-active compounds to flavorless forms and require investigation. 

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