Comparison of extraction methods for volatile compounds of Muscat grape juice

Typical flavour of Muscat d'Alexandrie wines is mainly due to volatile compounds coming from grapes of this variety. Therefore, the choice of grapes is crucial to obtain musts with a great aromatic potential, which will contribute to the final aroma of wines derived from those musts. In this study, three sampling techniques, liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), solid phase extraction (SPE) and simultaneous distillation-extraction (SDE), were compared for the analysis of volatile compounds in Muscat grape juice. Results showed that although the three techniques can be recommended for the quantitative analysis of volatile compounds from musts, LLE and SPE are better sample preparation techniques than SDE, mainly for determination of polar compounds such as acids or alcohols. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.