Noninvasive Identification of Tainted Corks in Full Intact Wine Bottles: A Low-Pressure Room Temperature Study

Abstract

The design and operation of a wine bottle screening device that noninvasively and nondestructively determines the presence of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), or cork taint, in bottle-mounted corks is described. The approach uses commercially available solid-phase microextraction fibers for reduced pressure preconcentration and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to detect TCA in wine bottle-mounted corks. Instrument calibration experiments and data corresponding to intentionally contaminated free and wine bottle mounted corks are described. This study suggests that reduced-pressure full-bottle screening is a viable qualitative method for identifying bottle-mounted TCA tainted corks without violating the bottle or harming the bottle seal and label.