Abstract
A procedure to quantify volatile, organic sulfur compounds in wines was developed using solid-phase microextraction to preconcentrate the analytes followed by gas chromatography and detection with a sulfur chemiluminescence detector. The compounds studied (hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, methanethiol, ethanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, diethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, and diethyl disulfide) have low sensory thresholds and contribute aromas ranging from rotten egg to cabbagelike in wines. These compounds, particularly the thiols, are very sensitive to oxidation. In the developed method, several steps were taken to minimize effects of oxidation and artifact formation, including the use of internal standards and air exclusion during sample preparation. However, oxidation could not be completely prevented, making it difficult to obtain acceptable calibration curves in model wines. Therefore, to correct for these effects, the method of standard addition was used to measure the concentrations of sulfur compounds in wines. The developed method was shown to be reproducible (<10% relative standard deviation) with excellent recovery (>97%) and limits of detection similar to or below sensory threshold levels. Using the developed method, a range of sulfur compounds were identified in wines associated with sensory descriptors characteristic of the S-containing compounds.
- CS2, carbon disulfide
- DEDS, diethyl disulfide
- DES, diethyl sulfide
- DMDS, dimethyl disulfide
- DMS, dimethyl sulfide
- EMS, ethyl methyl sulfide
- EtSH, ethanethiol
- H2S, hydrogen sulfide
- MeSH, methanethiol
- PrSH, propanethiol
- Copyright © 2011 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture
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