Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry in tandem mode applied for the identification of wine markers in residues from ancient Egyptian vessels

Presented in this paper is a new method for the identification of tartaric acid as a wine marker in archaeological residues from Egyptian vessels using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry in tandem mode (LC/MS/MS). Owing to the special characteristics of these samples, such as the dryness and the small quantity available for analysis, it was necessary to have a very sensitive and highly specific analytical method to detect tartaric acid at trace levels in the residues. Furthermore, an alkaline fusion was carried out to identify syringic acid derived from malvidin as a red wine marker, in a deposit residue from a wine jar found at the tomb of king Tutankhamun. Malvidin-3-glucoside, the main anthocyanin that gives young wines their red color, polymerizes with aging into more stable pigments. However, the presence of malvidin in ancient residues can be proved by alkaline fusion of the residue to release syringic acid from the pigment, which has been identified, here for the first time, by using the LC/MS/MS method revealing the red grape origin of an ancient Egyptian wine residue.