Determination of minor and trace volatile compounds in wine by solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection

A new method for the quantitative determination of important wine odorants has been developed. The wine (50 ml) is extracted in a 200 mg solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge filled with Lichrolut-EN resins from Merck. The elution is carried out with 1.3 ml of dichloromethane. These extracts are directly analyzed by GC-Ion Trap-MS without further concentration. Twenty-seven important wine odorants, such as volatile phenols, vanillin derivatives, aliphatic lactones, nor-isoprenoids, minor esters and terpenols, can be quantitatively determined in a single gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) run. The recoveries in the SPE isolation are in good agreement with those expected from the calculation of breakthrough volumes from solid-liquid distribution coefficients and are higher than 90%, except for guaiacol, vanillin, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol and 4-vinylphenol. In most cases, precision is below 10%. Method linearity is satisfactory, with r2 higher than 0.99 in all cases. The analysis of spiked samples has shown that there is good agreement between the real mass of compound added to the wine and that determined by analysis. In all cases detection limits are below the odor detection threshold of the compounds, and the calibrated interval covers the natural range of occurrence of the compounds in wine.     

Control of charcoal rot fungus Macrophomina phaseolina by extracts of Datura metel

Methanolic leaf and fruit extracts of Datura metel were found highly effective in suppressing against Macrophomina phaseolina, the cause of charcoal rot disease. These extracts were further subjected to successive fractionation with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. All the concentrations (3.125-200?mg?mL?1) of chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of leaf extract, and n-hexane fraction of fruit extract completely inhibited the target fungal growth. Two compounds A and B from the n-hexane fraction of fruit extract and compound C from n-butanol fraction of leaf extract were obtained by TLC. Compound B exhibited the best antifungal activity with an MIC value of 7.81?μg?mL?1 that was at par with that of commercial fungicide mancozeb (80% w/w). This study concludes that M. phaseolina can be effectively controlled by natural antifungal compounds in n-hexane fraction of methanolic fruit extract of D. metel.     

Fast analysis of important wine volatile compounds development and validation of a new method based on gas chromatographic-flame ionisation detection analysis of dichloromethane microextracts

A method for the simultaneous determination of major (10-200 mg/l) and minor (0.1-10 mg/l) volatile compounds from wine has been optimised and validated. A 3-ml volume of wine is diluted with water (7 ml), salted with 4.5 g of ammonium sulfate and extracted with 0.2 ml of dichloromethane. The extract is injected in the split mode in a GC system, separated on a Carbowax 20M capillary column and detected by flame ionisation detection. Volatiles from wine are divided into four groups according to their behaviour in the extraction, and a specific internal standard has been selected for each group. The method allows satisfactory determination of more than 30 volatile compounds of wine. Compounds analysed include acetaldehyde, diacetyl, acetoine (3-hydroxy butanone), fusel alcohols and their acetates, and fatty acids and their ethyl esters. The linear dynamic range of the method covers the normal range of occurrence of analytes in wine and extends from at least one magnitude order to more than two, with typical r2 between 0.9938 and 0.9998. Reproducibility ranges from 3.1 to 10% (as RSD) with 5.5% as the average. The analysis of spiked samples has shown that matrix effects do not significantly affect method performance.     

Semipreparative reversed-phase liquid chromatographic fractionation of aroma extracts from wine and other alcoholic beverages

The suitability of reversed-phase HPLC for the semi-preparative fractionation of aroma extracts from wine and other alcoholic beverages has been explored. Aroma extracts are separated in a 250x10-mm Kromasil-C18 column using a water-ethanol gradient system as mobile phase. It has been demonstrated that the chromatographic separation does not induce any chemical change in the sample components. The maximum volume that can be injected without altering efficiency is as high as 2 ml if ethanolic extracts are injected, and slightly less in the case of less polar extracts. Aroma extracts are injected directly without the need of any pretreatment. As major compounds elute first, it is possible to fractionate all the volatiles contained in a 1-1.5-1 sample without peak distortion or mass overload problems. The usefulness of the method has been demonstrated by fractionating an extract from a Chardonnay wine to get 15 fractions that showed different aromas. The GC analysis with olfactometric and MS detection of those fractions has allowed us to identify more than 70 aroma compounds and to signal some of them as potential key aromas of Chardonnay wine.     

Solid phase extraction, multidimensional gas chromatography mass spectrometry determination of four novel aroma powerful ethyl esters. Assessment of their occurrence and importance in wine and other alcoholic beverages

A method for the quantitative determination of four powerful aromatic ethyl esters recently identified in some wines has been developed, validated and applied to the determination of these compounds in different samples of wine, whisky and brandy. Ethyl 2-, 3-, and 4-methylpentanoate and ethyl cyclohexanoate are extracted from 100ml of sample by solid phase extraction (SPE) on a 200mg LiChrolut EN bed. Major compounds are eliminated by rinsing with a water-methanol (50:50) solution containing 1% sodium bicarbonate, and analytes are eluted with 1.5ml of dichloromethane. Fifty microlitres of this extract are then injected in a multidimensional gas chromatography-mass spectromety (GC-GC-MS) system. Recoveries in the SPE are quantitative. Method repeatability is satisfactory (5-12% for a 5-10ngl(-1) level, and less than 7% for 25-50ngl(-1) level), the method linearity holds along the whole range of occurrence of analytes (2-2700ngl(-1)), and the signal is independent on the matrix. Method detection limits are below 1ngl(-1) in all cases. Results suggest that these compounds are formed by the slow esterification with ethanol of the corresponding acids formed by different microorganisms. The levels of these compounds are above the corresponding thresholds in most samples of aged wines or distillates, but are particularly high in some sweet wines, whiskeys and brandies where they may constitute the most important contributors to the sweet-fruity notes reaching concentrations up to 85-350 times higher than the corresponding odor thresholds.     

Determination of vanillin and related flavor compounds in natural vanilla extracts and vanilla-flavored foods by thin layer chromatography and automated multiple development

Summary Thin layer chromatography on silica gel high performance layers and automated multiple development was used to separate the polar aromatic flavor compounds vanillin, ethyl vanillin, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, vanillic acid, coumarin, piperonal, anisic acid, and anisaldehyde commonly found in extracts of natural and artificial vanilla flavors. The ratio of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and vanillic acid to vanillin in natural vanilla extracts was used to confirm the authenticity of extracts purchased in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Natural vanilla extracts purchased in Mexico and Puerto Rico were identified as counterfeit products based on changes in the above ratio and the presence of synthetic flavor compounds such as ethyl vanillin and coumarin. It is also demonstrated that the proposed method is suitable for the determination of natural and synthetic vanilla flavors in solvent extracts from food, beverage and confectionery products. The main advantage of thin layer chromatography for the analysis of vanilla extracts and food stuffs flavored with vanilla is its high sample throughput since sample preparation requirements are minimal and multiple samples can be separated simultaneously.     

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities and bioguided fractionation of the Ocotea percoriacea extracts: HPLC-DAD-MS/MS characterization and molecular modeling of their alkaloids in the active fraction

In vitro acetylcholinesterase activities of the hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous extracts of leaves of Ocotea percoriacea Kosterm. (Lauraceae) were evaluated. The bioguided fractionation of the most active extract (dichloromethane) using silica gel open-column chromatography led to an active alkaloidal fraction composed of isocorydine N-oxide, isocorydine N-oxide derivative, palmatine, roemerine and roemerine N-Oxide. The identification of the chemical structure of these compounds was carried out with high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization multiple-stage mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). Aiming to understand their inhibitory activities, these alkaloids were docked into a 3D model of Electrophorus electricus Acetylcholinesterase (EelAChE) built in the Modeller 9.18 employing homology modeling approach. The results suggest that the alkaloids had the same binding mode and, possibly, the inhibition mechanism of classic drugs (ex. tacrine and donepezil). The structural difference of these compounds opens a new opportunity for the optimization of leading compounds.     

Aroma composition of red wines by different extraction methods and Gas Chromatography-SIM/MASS spectrometry analysis

One hundred and one volatile compounds, reported in literature as powerful odorants of wine, were quantified by Gas Chromatography-Selective Ion Monitoring/Mass Spectrometry (GC-SIM/MS) in Primitivo, Aglianico, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon red wines. Wine samples were extracted by 3 different extraction methods: 1) separation of the alcoholic fraction from the aqueous phase by salting-out and subsequent extraction by liquid-liquid micro-extraction with 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane (Freon 113); 2) extraction by liquid-liquid micro-extraction with dichloromethane; 3) solid phase extraction (SPE cartridge: 800 mg of LiChrolut EN resin) with pentane-dichloromethane (20:1) and dichloromethane. The selection of the ion fragments used for quantification was directly performed on a red wine sample. For each compound the area of the corresponding peak was normalized respect to the peak of the internal standard and then interpolated in a calibration curve obtained analysing a model wine solution (water, ethanol, tartaric acid and known amounts of analytes and of internal standard). The methods showed a good linearity: r2>0.990, except for farnesol (isomer a and c), octanal, decanal, furaneol and phenylacetic acid with 0.966 < or = r2 < or = 0.990. The 7 most powerful odorants were: beta-damascenone, acetaldehyde, maltol, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, ethyl 3-methylbutanoate, 3-methylbutanoic acid and acetal; 7 other slightly less important were: ethyl hexanoate, ethyl acetate, 1-octen-3-ol, butanoic acid, rose oxide, furaneol and sotolon. The Aglianico wines were characterised by the major fermentation compounds (esters, fatty acids and 2-phenylethanol), beta-damascenone, beta-ionone and linalool. The Primitivo wines were characterized by furaneol, methoxypyrazine, gamma-nonalactone and acetaldehyde, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines principally by cask derivates (vanillin, (Z) 3-methyl-gamma-octalactone [(Z) wiskylactone], maltol and eugenol), some aldehydes and 3-isopropyl-2-methoxypyrazine.     

Headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography as a tool to define an index that establishes the retention capacity of the wine polymeric fraction towards ethyl esters

A headspace-solid phase microextraction followed by gas chromatographic analysis (HS-SPME-GC) was developed to be applied in the study of the interactions between the wine polymeric fraction and the ethyl esters: ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate. Wine models (WM) were prepared with 10% (v/v) aqueous ethanol at pH 3.5 with distinct wine polymeric concentrations prepared from white wine of Vitis vinifera L. var. Fern?o-Pires: 1.0 g L(-1) (PWM1), with a polymeric concentration approaching the real one in wine; 10.0 g L(-1) (PWM10); and 30.0 g L(-1) (PWM30), saturated with polymeric fraction. A reference wine model (RWM) was prepared without polymeric fraction. Each volatile compound (4.0 mg L(-1)) was added separately to the RWM and to the WM with the three levels of polymeric material (PWM). From the retention index (RI) calculated for each compound using the formula: [RI = 1 - (C(RWM) - C(PWM))/C(RWM)], where C(RWM) is the concentration of the compound in the RWM and C(PWM) is the concentration of the compound in the given PWM, the retention capacity of each wine polymeric fraction towards the three esters was established. The higher retention indexes were observed for ethyl decanoate, the more hydrophobic compound, and for the PWM with higher concentration. Furthermore, this study also suggested that the retained compounds are dosed to the headspace, which may promote the perception of their aroma for a longer period of time.     

Improving GC-MS screening analysis by functional-group-related silica gel fractionation of industrial wastewater extracts

The separation of the components of complex industrial waste water extracts according to their functional groups has been accomplished by use of small silica gel columns eluted with a hexane – dichloromethane – methanol gradient. The six fractions obtained covered a polarity range from aliphatic fatty acids to (aromatic) polyhydroxy and polyether compounds. Recovery of model compounds was between 75 and 105%. Used prior to GC-MS analysis this fractionation substantially enhances chromatographic resolution and facilitates peak identification. The procedure was exemplarily applied to an extract of anaerobically treated tannery waste water. Phenols, aromatic acids, and aromatic and aliphatic (poly)hydroxy acids, in the low ppm range, were determined as main constituents. Since fractionation extends the range of detection, trace substances such as chlorocresol, dichlorobenzoic acid, mercaptobenzothiazole, and mercaptoacetic acid were also detectable at the ppb level.     

Antioxidant activity of papaya seed extracts

The antioxidant activities of the ethanol, petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water extract fractions from the seeds of papaya were evaluated in this study. The ethyl acetate fraction showed the strongest DPPH and hydroxyl free radical-scavenging activities, and its activities were stronger than those of ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate, respectively. The n-butanol fraction demonstrated the greatest ABTS? radicals scavenging activity. The ethyl acetate fraction and the n-butanol fraction not only showed higher antioxidant activities than the petroleum ether fraction, water fraction and ethanol fraction, but also showed higher superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide radicals scavenging activities than those of the other extract fractions. The high amount of total phenolics and total flavonoids in the ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions contributed to their antioxidant activities. The ethyl acetate fraction was subjected to column chromatography, to yield two phenolic compounds, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and vanillic acid, which possessed significant antioxidant activities. Therefore, the seeds of papaya and these compounds might be used as natural antioxidants.     

Phytochemical profiles,antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterasic activities of the leaf extracts of Rhamnus lycioides subsp. oleoides (L.) Jahand. & Maire in different solvents

In this work, the extracts obtained with different solvents from the leaves of Rhamnus lycioides subsp. oleoides (L.) Jahand. & Maire were studied for their phytochemical profile and then for their antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities. The phytochemical profiles of the extracts in n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol, anthraquinone rich and water, showed the presence of different compounds belonging to several classes of natural products such as flavonoids, anthraquinones, saccharides and fatty acids. For what concerns the biological tests, the ethyl acetate, methanol and anthraquinone rich extracts showed the highest activities in both assays due to the high amount of compounds possessing those properties such as flavonoids and anthraquinones. By consequence, these specific extracts of the species may be considered to be potential sources of natural antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterasic compounds.     

Isolation and identification of a new neo-clerodane diterpenoid from Teucrium chamaedrys L.

Teucrium chamaedrys L. is an aromatic and medicinal plant used as traditional medicine. Aerial parts of the plant material were dried and extracted with hexane–dichloromethane (extract 1), ethyl acetate–dichloromethane (extract 2) and methanol–dichloromethane (extract 3) in a ratio of 1:1 at rt successively. The solvents were evaporated to give crude extracts. Extract 1 was suspended in water at 60°C then partitioned successively with hexane and ethyl acetate to give hexane and ethyl acetate portions. After the column chromatography (silica gel) of ethyl acetate extract, one new and four known compounds were isolated. The new compound was named as 1(12S,18R)-15,16-epoxy-2β,6β-dihydroxy-neo-cleroda-13(16),14-dien-20,l2-olide-l8,l9-hemiacetal (teuchamaedryn D) (4). The known compounds were teucrin A (1), dihydroteugin (2), teucroxide (3), syspirensin A (5). The chromatographic methods were also applied for extract 3 to isolate verbascoside (6) and teucrioside (7). The structure of isolated compounds was elucidated by spectroscopic methods including LC-TOF/MS, 1D NMR and 2D NMR.     

Liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of supercritical-fluid extracts of rosemary plants

A two-step supercritical fluid extraction process of rosemary leaves, on a pilot plant scale, is proposed to divide the oleoresin into two fractions with different antioxidant activities and essential oil composition. Rosemary leaves were extracted by using different conditions of pressure and temperature as well as different conditions for fractionation of the extracts. Conditions can be tuned to selectively extract one antioxidant fraction with almost no residual aroma. In the present investigation, the antioxidant fraction was exhaustively studied in terms of antioxidant activity measurements as well as of chemical composition. An LC–MS method was adapted to perform the analysis and identification of the compounds responsible for the antioxidant activity of the extracts. Different extraction and fractionation conditions were studied in order to correlate the process conditions with the antioxidant activities obtained.     

Photoactive extracts from Thevetia peruviana with antifungal properties against Cladosporium cucumerinum

Seeds of Thevetia peruviana were screened for their antifungal photoactivity. Extracts obtained either with n-hexane or dichloromethane were fractionated by column chromatography and further analysed by thin-layer chromatography. All seed extracts and fractions were tested for inhibition of the fungus Cladosporium cucumerinum for the evaluation of photoactive inhibitory effects. Antifungal light-dependent activity was observed for some of the fractions and both crude extracts. The most photoactive fraction was analysed by capillary gas chromatography with mass spectrometry in order to identify its constituents. Two major groups of compounds were identified, terpenes and fatty acids and derivatives. Pulegone, linoleic acid and palmitic acid were the major compounds. Terpenes seem to be the major substances with antifungal photoactivity.     

Improved method for extraction of aroma compounds in aged brandies and aqueous alcoholic wood extracts using ultrasound

This work presents a rapid method for dichloromethane extraction of aroma compounds from brandies and aqueous-alcoholic wood extracts, in brandy-like ageing conditions, using ultrasound. The dichloromethane extracts were injected in split mode on a gas chromatographic (GC) system, separated on a DB-WAX capillary column and detected by flame ionisation. The method allowed satisfactory quantification of 37 volatile compounds in brandies (alcohols, esters, acids, furanics, aldehydes and phenols) and 16 volatile compounds in aqueous-alcoholic oak extracts. Linear responses were obtained (0.99-1.00). The repeatability and the detection and quantification limits were also evaluated. The analysis of spiked samples showed that matrix effects do not affect the method performance for the majority of the volatile compounds analysed.     

Fractionation of red wine polyphenols by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography

A systematic method for separation of aged red wine polyphenols into various distinct fractions using combined techniques of solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography was proposed. The aged red wine polyphenols were separated into various distinct fractions including phenolic acid fraction, monomer flavanol fraction, oligomer procyanidin fraction, anthocyanin and its pyruvic acid derivative fraction, free or non-colored proanthocyanidin fraction, fraction of direct condensation products between anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins and fraction of other pigmented complexes. The phenolic composition of each fraction was verified by HPLC with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD), thiolysis, vanillin assay, HPLC coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) and multi-stage MS fragment analysis. For the first time, anthocyanins and their pyruvic derivatives were separated from other phenolic compounds, while free or non-pigmented polymer proanthocyanidins from other pigmented complexes. The fractionation method would be of particular interest in further studying the detailed composition of polymeric polyphenols in red wine.     

Optimization of a procedure for the selective isolation of some powerful aroma thiols. Development and validation of a quantitative method for their determination in wine

This paper deals with the isolation properties of four relevant wine mercaptans in two different separation systems and with the subsequent development, optimization and validation of an analytical procedure for their quantitative determination. 4-Methyl-4-mercaptopentanone (4M4MP), 2-furanmethanethiol (FFT), 3-mercaptohexanol (3MH) and 3-mercaptohexyl acetate (AMH) can be quantitatively extracted from 200 ml of wine in a bed packed with 1 g of LiChrolut EN resins. Fatty acids and diverse interfering compounds are removed by rinsing with an aqueous solution with a 40% of methanol and buffered at pH 7.2 with alpha,alpha,alpha-tris-(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane (TRIS) 0.2 M. Mercaptans can be further isolated by extraction with an aqueous solution of 1 mM p-hydroxymercury benzoate. Best results were achieved with an extraction with a solution at pH 10.7 with 0.2 M 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-1-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES), further acidification to pH 7.5, release of thiols by the addition of dithioerythritol and extraction with 2 x 0.75 ml dichloromethane. The extract is concentrated to 200 and 20 microl are finally injected in a gas chromatograph-ion trap mass spectrometric system. Method detection limits are 0.8, 6, 15 and 5 ng l(-1) for 4M4MP, FFT, MH and AMH, respectively. The recovery in the sample pre-treatment was 76, 45, 75 and 95%, respectively. Repeatability and linearity are also satisfactory. Different critical aspects, such as the effect of air or the evaporation of the extract were also studied.     

Chemical profile and biological activities of Peltigera horizontalis (Hudson) Baumg. thallus and apothecia extracts

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine, for the first time, the chemical composition of Peltigera horizontalis thallus and apothecia extracts (ether, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane and acetone) by HPLC-UV and GC-MS, and evaluate activity of genotoxic, anticholinesterase, antioxidant and antibacterial potential of acetone extracts. Major constituents of thallus extracts were gyrophoric acid, and methyl gyrophorate while dominant component of apothecia extracts was tenuiorin. The predominant volatile compounds in extracts were methyl orsellinate, dodecyl acrylate, orcinol and orcinol monomethyl ether. The thallus acetone extract at concentration of 2.0 µg mL^?1 gave the greatest decrease in the micronuclei frequency (22.4%) of all tested extracts. Apothecia extract showed stronger antioxidant activity as compared to thallus extract. Tested extracts at concentration of 10?mg mL^?1 exhibited inhibitory effect (16.5% for thallus and 12.8% for apothecia) on pooled human serum cholinesterase. P. horizontalis acetone extracts had no activity against the tested five bacteria strains.     

Search for bioactive compounds from Cantharellus cibarius

Ground fruit bodies of Cantharellus cibarius (chanterelle) were extracted with dichloromethane and subjected to CC followed by preparative HPLC, which led to the isolation of glycerol 1,2- and 1,3-dilinoleates and glycerol tridehydrocrepenynate. Extraction of C. cibarius fruit bodies with ethanol or methanol afforded fatty acid ethyl or methyl esters as a result of esterification/transesterification reactions. Insecticidal activity of the isolated glycerides and esters was much lower than that of the crude extracts and chromatographic fractions suggesting a synergistic effect of some of the compounds present in the mixture.