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