Comparison of laboratory- and pilot-scale pervaporation process: Influence on volatile compounds and sensory properties of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ grape spirit

Pervaporation technology is a novel and sustainable separation method capable of replacing distillation in spirit production. The feasibility of laboratory-scale pervaporation technology for this purpose has been established. Therefore, the impact of scale-up to pilot-scale on the aroma characteristics of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ grape spirits was assessed using a Sensomics approach in this research. Aroma extract dilution analysis combined with gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry identified highly similar aroma components in both laboratory-scale (L-Z) and pilot-scale (P-Z) spirits, with 47 and 40 compounds identified, respectively. The levels of key aroma compounds and their flavor dilution factors were highly consistent between the two samples. Of the 49 quantified aroma compounds, isoamyl alcohol and ethyl octanoate were the most abundant, while ethyl octanoate, β -damascenone, and acetoin exhibited the highest odor activity values (OAVs). Importantly, most compounds showed no significant differences in concentration or OAVs between P-Z and L-Z. Quantitative descriptive analysis revealed a high aroma profile similarity of 94% between the two samples, with no significant difference in the intensity of aroma attributes. The preference test confirmed that there was no significant difference in consumer preference between the two. These results demonstrate the feasibility and stability of equipment performance during scale-up, supporting the further application of pervaporation technology in industrial spirit production.