Aroma composition of wine studied by different extraction methods

Several isolation and concentration methods have been developed for the analysis of volatile components in wine. However, it is generally admitted that none of them fulfill all the requirements for the isolation of aroma compounds and that it is necessary to combine different extraction methods to obtain the complete volatile fraction. Three extraction methods have been studied: liquid-Liquid extraction, static headspace and a new method developed in our laboratory, which has the same principle as the dynamic headspace technique. The volatiles were swept along with a carrier gas and later condensed in a cold trap. The advantages and disadvantages of the three methods regarding sample preparation, component losses and artifact formation, have been evaluated. Also, the sensitivity and reproducibility have been compared. With the liquid-liquid extraction method used, a new compound has been described for the first time in wine. This compound is 5,6,7,7a-tetrahydro-4,4,7a-trimethylbenzofuran-2 (4H)-one. Liquid-liquid extraction and static headspace show good reproducibility; although static headspace is useful for the analysis of highly volatile compounds, it is not able to detect trace compounds due to its lack of sensitivity. The new method allows to obtain an extract, free of artifacts and foreign substances that were not in the original wine. As no solvent is used, the extracts may be tasted and sensorially analyzed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.