In-process quality control of wine by planar chromatography versus micro planar chromatography

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Science
• Chromatography

Background:

• Wine quality control is crucial for producers and consumers.
• Traditional methods can be time-consuming and require extensive sample preparation.
• Developing rapid, accurate analytical techniques is essential for in-process monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) methods for key wine analytes.
• To enable in-process quality control of wine, including fermentation monitoring and grape health assessment.
• To explore the transferability of HPTLC methods to circular micro planar chromatography (μ-PLC).

Main Methods:

• Quantitative analysis of glycerol, gluconic acid, amino acids, and sugars using HPTLC.
• Sample preparation involved simple dilution with methanol.
• Amino acid identification was confirmed using HPTLC-Mass Spectrometry (HPTLC-MS).

Main Results:

• HPTLC methods provided quantitative data for quality control parameters.
• Amino acid analysis generated characteristic fingerprints for wine varieties.
• Gluconic acid analysis helped detect potential grape infections (Botrytis cinerea) and other organic acids.
• Glycerol analysis supported fermentation monitoring and fraud detection.
• Sugar analysis results correlated well with the Luff-Schoorl method.
• HPTLC methods showed potential for transfer to μ-PLC.

Conclusions:

• Developed HPTLC methods are effective for in-process wine quality control.
• These methods facilitate monitoring of fermentation and grape health status.
• HPTLC offers an inexpensive and efficient alternative for wineries, with potential for μ-PLC application.