Quantification of polyphenols with potential antioxidant properties in wines using reverse phase HPLC

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Chemistry
• Wine Science

Background:

• Phenolic compounds are crucial for wine quality and health benefits.
• Regional wines like those from Madeira and Canary Islands require specific analytical characterization.
• Existing methods may not simultaneously quantify a wide range of phenolics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a robust RP-HPLC-DAD method for simultaneous analysis of phenolic compounds in Madeira and Canary Islands wines.
• To identify and quantify key phenolic acids and flavonoids in these specific wine regions.
• To establish a reliable analytical tool for wine quality assessment.

Main Methods:

• Development of a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method.
• Utilized photodiode array detection (DAD) for compound identification and quantification.
• Method validation included linearity, precision, accuracy, sensitivity, and recovery assessments.

Main Results:

• The validated RP-HPLC-DAD method demonstrated high repeatability (<7.9% intra-day variation) and stability (<3% variation).
• High recoveries (>80.3%) and excellent linearity (r(2) >0.994) were achieved for polyphenol calibration curves.
• Gallic acid was the most abundant phenolic acid (>65%), followed by p-coumaric and caffeic acids. Trans-resveratrol and (-)-epicatechin were major flavonoids in Madeira wines, while Canary wines were rich in gallic, caffeic, p-coumaric acids, and quercetin.

Conclusions:

• The developed RP-HPLC-DAD method is suitable for the simultaneous quantification of phenolic compounds in Madeira and Canary Islands wines.
• Significant differences in phenolic profiles were observed between the wines from the two archipelagos.
• This method provides valuable insights into the chemical composition and potential health benefits of these regional wines.