Robust, automated quantitation of proline in wine

Area of Science:

• Enology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Metabolomics

Background:

• Proline is a key wine metabolite influencing taste and mouthfeel.
• Existing proline quantification methods are often costly, time-consuming, or inaccurate due to interferences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an automated Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H NMR) method for precise proline quantification in wine.
• To assess the efficiency, reliability, and repeatability of the automated ¹H NMR method compared to traditional techniques.

Main Methods:

• Development of an automated workflow for ¹H NMR analysis of wine samples.
• Analysis of over a thousand wine samples to validate the method's performance.
• Statistical evaluation of method repeatability (intraday and interday coefficients of variation).

Main Results:

• The automated ¹H NMR method successfully quantified proline in 84.9% of analyzed wine samples.
• Excellent repeatability was achieved with coefficients of variation below 1.2% for both intraday and interday measurements.
• Significant reduction in analyst time and increased reliability across diverse wine types and proline concentrations.

Conclusions:

• The automated ¹H NMR method provides a rapid, accurate, and robust approach for proline quantification in wine.
• This method enhances the efficiency and reliability of wine analysis, making it suitable for routine use.
• The freely available workflow facilitates broader adoption in enological research and quality control.