HPLC determination of volatile phenols in wines

Summary An alternative to the traditional solvent extraction method used to extract and rapidly quantify ethyl-and vinylphenol and ethyl-and vinylgaiacol from wine is presented. The method is based on retention of volatile phenols on adsorbants. Among the tested resins, the most efficient, AG 2-X8 (anion exchange resin), worked as well with a synthetic solution as with wines. The percolation of clarified wine adjusted to pH 9 on this resin permits, in particular, the elimination of organic acids. Phenols are not eluted after rinsing the column with 1N HCl, but are eluted with methanol after this treatment. Good recovery (91 %) and good repeatability are observed. The eluate is directly analysed by HPLC on an RP18 column after two-fold dilution in water. The four volatile phenols were completely separated and detected by UV at 280 nm with high sensitivity (20–40 ppb). No interference with other compounds were noted in the different wines analysed.