Abstract: To investigate the impact of the assimilable nitrogenous compound ammonium phosphate on the quality of fermented kiwifruit wine, 100-400 mg/L ammonium phosphate (DAP) was supplemented to kiwifruit juice prior to fermentation. The resultant wine was analyzed for basic physicochemical parameters, potentially harmful alcohols, nutritional components and volatile compounds. Results showed that the addition of 100–400 mg/L of DAP not only stimulated alcohol fermentation during the first 48 hours of fermentation, but also significantly reduced the concentrations of potentially harmful alcohols, such as higher alcohols and methanol in the kiwifruit wine. In particular, supplementation of 300 mg/L of DAP led to a reduction in total higher alcohol and methanol concentrations by 42.84% and 20.1%, respectively. Although DAP supplementation reduced the total amino acid content, it did not have any significant impact on the contents of VC or total phenols in the kiwifruit wine. Nonetheless, the addition of DAP significantly increased the contents of acetate esters and ethyl esters in kiwifruit wine. Particularly, supplementation of 300 mg/L of DAP remarkably increased the concentrations of ethyl acetate, ethyl n-hexanoate, n-octanal, heptanol, and 1-octene-3-ol, enhancing the fruity and floral aromas of kiwifruit wine. Therefore, the addition of an appropriate amount of ammonium phosphate can improve the quality of fermented kiwifruit wine.

Key words: ammonium; harmful alcohols; nutrients; aroma components; ‘Xuxiang’ kiwifruit