(PHYS) - To wine makers, stink bugs are more than a nuisance. These tiny pests can hitch rides on grapes going through the wine making process, releasing stress compounds that can foul the smell and taste of the finished product. Now, in a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, scientists report the threshold of stink bugs per grape cluster that will impact the integrity of the wine.

In vineyards, brown marmorated stink bugs feed on grapes, reducing their yield and quality. And because they are small and blend in, the insects hitchhike on the grapes and wind up in the winery, giving off stress compounds that sometimes affecting the quality of the wine and juice. Pesticides used in the vineyard are not completely effective, so attention is being focused on ways to reduce the presence of the insects in wineries post-harvest. To find out exactly how grape processing impacts the release of stink bug stress compounds and how this affects wine, Elizabeth Tomasino and colleagues took a closer look.