Concurrent quantification of light and heavy sulphur volatiles in wine by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

A new method based on headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC/MS) to analyse 13 light and heavy volatile sulphur compounds in the same run was established. For the successful application of the procedure, various adsorption process parameters were optimised. In particular the nature of the adsorptive phase, the temperature, the ionic strength of the sample solutions and the equilibration time were considered. The best extraction conditions, in terms of the maximum signal obtainable for each compound, were obtained with a carboxen-polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene (CAR-PDMS-DVB) 2 cm long coating fibre. The choice of suitable internal standards and the matrix effect were studied and the proposed method was validated by determining linearity, precision and accuracy, evaluating the critical, detection and quantification limits. This method is fast, sensitive and precise and easy to transfer to wine quality control. Finally, the proposed method was applied to the determination of the aforementioned sulphur compounds in 32 red and white wines.